What Binds Us
by lova14
Summary: Bound to his past, Inuyasha is thrust into a new chapter of his life. Forced into hiding, the modern world is no place for a demon, much less a half demon, but when the Shikon jewel resurfaces what will happen when demon's start to come out of their 200 years of hiding? Refusing to let the past reoccur, Inuyasha will do whatever it takes to save the ones he loves.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter one: Stuck**_

" _And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3_

* * *

To put it in a word, Inuyasha was stuck. He was stuck in a memory, stuck in a place, even stuck in time. How many times over the past 500 years had he made the trip to the Higurashi shrine? The shrine was erected soon after Kikyo - one of the most powerful miko to have ever existed - had died. To inuyasha, the shrine was simply a memory of a time long gone.

The age of youkai and spirits had long since passed. The very beings who had once held sway over Japan and it's people now hid away like cowards; unable to even be seen by the ones they once held so much power over. Even Inuyasha's brother, the great daiyoukai - Sesshomaru, had hidden away. Youkai and demons were now simply nothing but fairy tales told by parents to get their children to behave.

It had happened slowly over the generations. As humans developed and learned more, they simply lost the ability to see them. As Inuyasha had heard it been put before, The world of spirits was only open to those with the innocence of a child. For this reason many lower youkai now occupied their time simply by making babies cry.

This was another thing Inuyasha had found himself stuck in - a war. Being only half demon - a hanyou - humans could still see him. The changes had made hanyous even rarer then they had been and made youkai's hatred of them grow even stronger. Humans had feared hanyou, an anomaly from their mundane world, and youkai hated them them simply because they could be seen, longing to regain the power and worship the humans had once given them. Because of this, many hanyou had been killed by jealous youkai or frightened humans. Inuyasha honestly wasn't even aware of another hanyou anymore.

He had tried to run away from his past many times, but he had always found himself back at the shrine, bound to it by unseen forces. It was the only thing remaining of his one time of happiness in his life.

Kikyo.

Despite her being a miko, they had developed a strong relationship. One Inuyasha still treasured. Kikyo was really the first person (or youkai for that matter) that had not tried to brutally murder him.

At the beginning of their relationship he has been confused by her hesitance to kill him. No miko or monk had ever once not taken a shot at trying to purify him. It was the driving factor that had driven him to follow and watch her every day (well, that and the Shikon no Tama that she held in her possession, but Inuyasha had lost interest in it quickly if he were to be honest with himself).

Soon, they had begun to talk. It was the first real social interaction since his mother had died. Inuyasha had hardened his heart after his mother's death, something that wasn't hard to do in his life. To Inuyasha, love meant death, emotions led to carnage and anything but a stone face meant meant weakness.

But Kikyo had broken through his walls. For once in 150 years of his life, he began to love.

And he regretted it.

Not soon after his relationship with Kikyo had begun, she was violently ripped from his hands. Stolen by the one thing he refused to let have him; death.

Kikyo had always been sought out by demons as she had the Shikon no Tama, a jewel that could amplify a demons strength 100 fold. Inuyasha had always known about the jewel, at first wanting it for himself to become a full youkai instead of what he was, a worthless half demon; but he could never bring himself to take it from her; instead helping her guard it, eventually even planning to us it to turn him into the part of him he hated most - a human.

He had vowed to protect her with his life, yet he still couldn't prevent the inevitable.

Kikyo had left early one morning without telling Inuyasha. With the jewel in hand she made her way towards a village she had heard rumours of a youkai killing it's inhabitants. While traveling alone, she had been ambushed. The jewel was stolen. By an incredible feat of strength, Kikyo had managed to make it back to the village through her injuries, finally collapsing in Inuyashas arms and letting death finally take hold.

Inuyasha had been helpless. She had died in his arms, cold and beautiful. A part of him wanted to yell at her for being so stupid and reckless. What was she thinking leaving alone?! Inuyasha couldn't take it, his sorrow turning into white hot rage. Leaving Kikyo at the base of the Goshinboku tree, he went after the bastard who had killed her. It hadn't taken him long since he reeked of Kikyo's blood.

Although he hadn't been able to kill the man responsible, he did manage to steal the jewel back, taking it back to Kikyo. It was her final wish for the jewel to be burned with her body if she were to ever meet such a fate. And it was. The jewel was burned and never seen since.

Even though Inuyasha knew Kikyo was gone, he could still feel her presence at the shrine. Some times, he swore if he really strained to listen, he could still hear her laughing and playing with the village children. Some times he even swore he could feel her arms wrap around him, feeling her warmth and relaxing in her scent.

But she was dead. And in a way, Inuyasha was too. Time did not move for the dead. Thus, Inuyasha was stuck.

* * *

Inuyasha now stood stood at the red torii gates gates of the Higurashi shrine and closed his golden eyes. He could still _feel_ Kikyo despite the 500 year time gap. He smiled to himself, reveling in her spirit. He let himself move freely in the open space of the shrine. The shrine keeper and his daughter were not here so he decided to enjoy his momentary freedom. Soon, he knew he would have to hide again.

Inuyasha approached the large tree standing to the side of the shrine - the Goshinboku tree, the base of which Kikyo had taken her last breaths. The tree was believed to transcribe feelings across all the ages, which made a hell of a lot of sense to him since Kikyo's aura was strongest here. He stood there bathed in harsh moonlight. It emphasized his long silver hair and dog ears with a even brighter silver outline. He just stood there, basking in the very soul of Kikyo until dawn.

As the sun broke over the horizon, he opened his eyes. The tenants had still not returned home. He gave out a big sigh, grateful for the peaceful night alone. He figured he should hide as visiting hours would soon have shrine visitors who would most defiantly cause a riot if he were to be seen.

With one powerful leap, Inuyasha dashed towards the small wooded area to the back of the shrine, the early morning sun making the intense red of his haori and hakama even harsher. It hadn't been to the shrine in years, he might as well stay here a while longer.

He could hear the sounds of the city pick up as the sun rose higher in the sky. All these metal contraptions had been around for over 80 years and he still couldn't get used to it. The sounds assaulted his sensitive ears and made it harder for him to sense any danger.

Finding a tree the inu-hanyou found acceptable for the day, he climbed atop it and perched himself carelessly. He was still close enough to the Goshinboku that he could feel Kikyo's spirit. It was strong as ever.

But then, it vanished.

His heart skipped a beat. _What the hell?!_ In over 500 years the aura of Kikyo's soul had never once faltered, but now it was... _gone._ There one second, gone the next, like a cruel magic trick. He was about to leap down and investigate when he heard the offending noise of footsteps. Early morning shrine visitors. _They couldn't have picked a worse time_ Inuyasha thought, powerless to do anything about the sudden disappearance of the miko's spirit.

It wasn't until a couple of hours later that a very tired looking Higurashi family returned to the shrine. The wailing cries of a baby girl coming from their direction.

* * *

 **AN: So, I may be about 15 or so years late in this, but I finally got around to watching Inuyasha. Needless to say, I've been obsessed with it since.**

 ***Ahem* anyways; a few things you should know going into this. First of all, this is going to be long. I already have a bout 4 chapters completed, waiting to be transferred and edited. This story will NOT progress quickly. I hate when fanfictions are like "inuyasha saw kagome and loved her instantly". Yes, this story will have "first impressions" but know that I am going to follow the character personalities that Rumiko Takehashi laid out for them. I love the struggle they all face, Inuyasha struggling to love because of his tragic life, Kagome going though what any woman would feel in her situation, Miroku having to respect Sango's inability to move past Kohaku, all of that will be expanded on in this story. The main focus will be Inukag with small parts for mirsan and even Sesshomaru and Rin (don't worry she's older, I don't roll that way) will be making an appearance.  
**

 **Now that that's out of the way, also know that this story WILL be dealing with some very heavy topics. Rape, miscarriage, death, torture and kidnapping, etc. A lot of this story is going to be loosely based on my own experience with these topics. There will be lemons, but that will be much later. No romantic plot will be brought it quickly as I said, but I promise to keep it interesting until then. **

**Finally, this takes place in the present. None of the events of the first anime occurred. The only thing that has happened was Miroku and Sango still went after Naraku alone, which lead to their deaths and they have been reincarnated.**

 **Sorry for this long ass AN, I want y'all to go into this with with as much knowledge as possible. Knowledge is power afterall. So enjoy and leave a review!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make profit in this at all. Inuyasaha belongs to Rumiko Takehashi**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This chapter is literally just an excuse to pass time in the story, plus, I know how annoying it can be to get hooked on the first chapter and there's nothing else yet. It's a shorter chapter, again, because it's to pass time. I'll update again soon, hopefully sometime this week! Also, I want to drive the point that this is not an Inuyasha/Kikyo story. I rather hate Kikyo, just hang tight.  
**

 **Terms you should know for this chapter; The Unmei no Akai Ito, （運命の赤い糸） or the " _red string of fate_ ". In Chinese and Japanese folklore it is believe that when we are born the gods tie a red strong around our ankle (Chinese) or our smallest finger (Japanese) and the person we are tied to we are destined to be with, no matter what.. This string may become tangled or knotted but never cut, so we can never avoid those we are tied to. This is the theme this story is going to be most heavily based on. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make profit from it. Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takehashi.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Threads of fate**

"Everything is connected, like a delicate web. Ever growing, ever changing. New silvery strands come together every day, and once the strand is formed, no matter what superficial circumstances may sometimes keep you apart, it is never broken. You will meet again, perhaps in another lifetime. The connection is unbreakable, lying dormant in your subconscious."  
― Chelsie Shakespeare, _The Pull_

* * *

A few days later, Inuyasha returned to the Higurashi shrine to investigate. Kikyo's aura - sure enough - was still gone.

Hearing an assaulting wail scrape against his sensitive ears like sandpaper, he gingerly made his way to the back of the shrine where a small house had been built. Concealed in the blanket of darkness that night provided for him, he stepped up to a window on the lower level of the home. He peered inside to see the Higurashi family rushing about and fussing over a crying baby girl. Despite the young parents best efforts, the crying only continued. _Keh, this better not continue throughout the night_ Inuyasha thought to himself, wanting to actually get some sleep.

Suddenly, as if by magic or some kami's intervention, the screeching child finally stopped. Inuyasha's heart jumped when he noticed that her small brown eyes were staring directly at him.

Cursing, Inuyasha quickly ducked his head away from view. Almost immediately, the child resumed her relentless cries. Annoyed, the hanyou raised his head again to peer in through the window. The crying stopped and the child started to giggle in amusement. Inuyasha's ear twitched in agitation; _just what the hell does this kid find so damn funny about him anyways?_

Inuyasha was so engrossed by the small life that he nearly forgot to keep a watch out for the parents who were now watching him too. Their eyes were wide, mouths agape. The wife looked as if she might scream.

That was Inuyasha's queue to get the hell away.

Receding into the trees of the shrine, he stayed on alert. As dawn broke he counted his blessings as they family hadn't called police or an exorcist on him. From that day on though, Inuyasha stayed a safe distance away from the family who would now undoubtedly be on alert. He left the shrine, only returning so often to pay his respects to Kikyo.

* * *

Years passed by nearly without incident. Often times, even as Inuyasha hid away behind the treeline, he could hear a small voice and tiny clumsy footsteps approach him before being ushered away by one of the Higurashi adults. Of course, that didn't last long as soon the toddler became old enough to play outside alone and a very pregnant Mrs. Higurashi simply couldn't keep up with her anyways.

It was during this time that Inuyasha was lounging in a tree behind the shrine when he heard the small raven haired girl pass beneath him. Watching the child through uninterested lidded eyes, he simply readjusted on his branch to be more comfortable. Surely he was too high up to be noticed.

" _Mr Doggy Man!"_

Inuyasha nearly fell from his perch. How in kami's name had she seen him? I mean, sure, the bright red from his garb wasn't the best camouflage against the green canopy of leaves, but in all his years human's had never really developed the simple skill of "looking up".

"Mr Doggy!" The young girl was right beneath him, looking up with a stupid grin on her face, her brown eyes filled his excitement.

Inuyasha simply ran. She may have only been a human child, but stories of a "dog eared man" resting in the tree tops would call for some kind of investigation, and Inuyasha simply just didn't want to have to deal with that.

Leaping from tree to tree, he could hear the girl giving chase. _Keh_ , He'd outrun her. A child compared to a hanyou? No contest. It didn't take long until she was out of sight but his ears swiveled around his head as he could still hear her running through the forest, calling out for him. _God's, doesn't she give up?_

Before Inuyasha could finish his thoughts on just how long this damn kid was going to follow him around, his ears jerked at the sound of a splash of water followed by a blood chilling scream.

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed out loud, bounding off in the direction of splashing water and child's screaming. _She must have fallen into one of the ponds or streams within the wooded area_. Inuyasha ran as fast as his legs would take him. But when the screams stopped, so did his heart. He may have been a hanyou, but simply allowing a child to die when he could have prevented it put a sour taste in his mouth.

After what seemed like an eternity to him - but in reality was only about a minute - of silence he arrived at (what he hoped) was the body of water the child had fallen into. From the surface, he couldn't make out a human form but the ripples of water that were still dancing about was enough evidence to know what had taken place here. Inuyasha cursed again and scanned the water more intently for the child. His heart was pounding in his ears, his mind was going a thousand thoughts per second. It baffled Inuyasha, why was he having such a strong reaction to the unknown child?

Suddenly, his eye caught the bright pink of the dress the girl was wearing in the steadying pool of water. Not hesitating, he jumped into the water. It came up to about his chest. He grabbed the girl and carefully holding her against him, set her down on dry land. His heart stopped when he couldn't hear her breathing, but regained it's uneven beats when he could still hear her faint one. Inuyasha wasn't a doctor, but he had seen enough small children fall into water in his time to know what to do.

Carefully placing his clawed hands on her chest, he began steady presses, careful not to press too hard and break all her ribs. _Don't die on me brat_ was the only thought racing through the inu-hanyous mind.

Finally, the child jerked and vomited water, coughing a few times before falling back unconscious. Her breathing was slowly becoming more and more steady and her heart was getting stronger with each breath. Inuyasha let out his own breath which he hadn't even realized he was holding in and gently picked up the child, careful not to wake her.

Inuyasha slowly made his way back to the shrine, watching the sleeping child in his arms and listening to her steady shallow breaths. He had saved her, that was all that mattered to him. He would return her to the shrine and leave. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was his fault she had nearly drowned in the first place. If he hadn't been so damn sentimental about Kikyo he would have left the shrine days ago and none of this would have happened.

Inuyasha walked through the treeline out into the open. He could feel the eyes of the few shrine goers piercing into his back. He even heard a few scream and run away. He didn't care, he wouldn't be around long enough for anyone to show up and cause trouble. He walked up to the house behind the shrine and rapped on the door loudly. He heard scurrying inside and soon the click of the doorknob turning.

An older woman answered the door and just stared at him. He could see the fear in her eyes and smelled it off of her.

"Here" he said, presenting the sleeping girl in his arms to her, "I found her out back."

All fear in the woman's eyes disappeared as she finally noticed her daughter. "Kagome?" she muttered under her breath. "Why is she wet?"

"She fell into a pond, I heard it and thankfully got there in time." The young mother gingerly reached out her hand and brushed a wet strand of hair out of her daughters face. Kagome stirred under her touch, making a small sound. The woman stepped back and gestured for Inuyasha to come inside. "Here, come inside, help me set her down."

Inuyasha wasn't sure what he had expected just showing up at a humans door, but it certainly wasn't this. He very cautiously stepped inside and was led into a large room. He carefully set the child down on the couch as instructed. He moved to leave, not wanting to stay with a human any longer than he needed to. Kagome's mother leaned down next to her, fussing over her sleeping daughter. Just as Inuyasha's foot stepped through the door, she thanked him.

Inuyasha just wordlessly left, running far away from the shrine.

 _Forgive me Kikyo, but I won't be back this time._


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Oh my! Another update so soon! Another short chapter just to finish character introductions. Next one will be long and rewarding, I promise you!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make profit from it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: 500 years in waiting**

"Isn't it funny. I'm enjoying my hatred so much more than I ever enjoyed love. Love is temperamental. Tiring. It makes demands. Love uses you, changes its mind. But hatred, now, that's something you can use. Sculpt. Wield. It's hard, or soft, however you need it. Love humiliates you, but Hatred cradles you."  
― Janet Fitch, _White Oleander_

* * *

Perched up and out of sight within the tree line was a small, white girl. She was expressionless and cold as the snow. Although a demon in her own right, her lack of demonic energies and scent made the child her master's eyes since she was created, reflecting the world through cold eyes. Humans could not see her, and demon's could not sense her, she was nothing more than a shell.

In her hands was a small decorative mirror, reflecting a small child with raven black hair. The two looked to be around the same age, but looks can be deceiving. The snow-white child had seen over 500 years, dutifully relaying it's every detail to the hanyou who created her.

He had killed Kikyo 5 centuries prior. He took great pleasure in taking it, actually. Kikyo, the flawless priestess who had taken him in and cared for him, saving him from death. Everyday she cared for him, he longed to take her, to force himself on her and defile her holy body. At night, whe she left him alone, he lusted after her, his thoughts of piercing into her and fucking her until she was bloody and torn his only entertainment. and had been waiting patiently for her reincarnation all these years. He knew she would be reincarnated, he had made sure of that, using the jewel to feed her strong emotions for that hanyou lover of hers made sure that she would be reborn. Her wish to see him again would be her undoing.

Under Naraku's orders, Kanna had followed the young Kagome since her birth. She had tried to steal her soul numerous times but despite Kagome's infancy, it had always failed.

Naraku wanted the child dead, he wanted to hear her scream in pain; longed to be drenched him Kikyo's blood once again.

As easy as it would have been for Naraku to simply kill the child in cold blood himself, he knew a child baring physical wounds would be too risky. Not only that, but he craved to hear her scream, to pollute her body with his own, he couldn't do that in his current position. But that was okay, he was a patient man. Ever waiting, ever watching. Naraku was also aware that Inuyasha, Kikyo's lover was still alive and in hiding. This, in a way, also made him hesitate to simply kill the girl. He wanted the jewel to become as rotten with evil intentions and ill will as possible, and make Inuyasha suffer and watch as he takes his lover from him once again.

He had hated Inuyasha more than anyone else in this world. The damned dog was what kept Kikyo away from him. Naraku wanted nothing more than to make Inuyasha suffer in any and every way possible. If Naraku couldn't have Kikyo, then Inuyasha shouldn't have her either.

He had plenty of time to imagine how he would go about it. He was never one to try to dirty his hands himself unless completely necessary. He would wait until he could get someone else to do it for him. Even if Naraku wanted to go out on his own however, or even release one of his more powerful incarnations, he knew it would end poorly. He was a wanted man after all, and slip up could mean his death.

500 years worth of countless crimes, both humans and youkai wanted him dead. Despite humans no longer being able to see youkai, there were still a precious few who could, and more importantly, could even sense demonic aura's. The most troublesome being the dai-youkai, Sesshomaru, whom the evil hanyou knew would track and hunt him down relentlessly as soon as he stepped outside his barrier. Naraku smiled at the memory of what had invoked the otherwise calm demons wrath upon him. _Poor Rin_ he chuckled to him self, _So young, yet you, Sesshomaru, despite your great power were still so helpless to stop it._

On top of that, there were two humans that Naraku was having increasing troubles with. He had almost lost count of how many times he had felled the two, but they kept reincarnating. Their existence was nothing more than a nuisance to Naraku, reminding him of flies during the summer months. No matter how many times you swat them, they only come back. The monk and the demon slayer... He never would have guessed for the two to be so persistent.

One good thing came out of this new world, a world where humans and youkai can never cross paths, he could easily hide. Naraku spend much of this time in hiding planning and watching, waiting for the right moment to strike. He was spinning his web as delicate as possible, stitching every thread just so, waiting for the flies to swarm and get entangled within.

He would feast on their hatred and misery until there was nothing left but empty shells.

* * *

Naraku watched as Kagome wandered off to the small wooded area behind the shrine. She was going much further than she normally did, she almost looked as if she was looking for something. _Huh_ Naraku thought to himself, _this will be interesting._

Naraku knew that Inuyasha was in the trees behind the shrine, his massive demonic energy made it hard for him to truly hide. Despite Inuyasha being a hanyou, he had more power than most full blooded youkai. Yet, youkai - for the most part - avoided him. _Youkai had truly become cowards_ Naraku cursed bitterly, disgusted at how much a powerful race could be reduced to nothing.

He watched as the toddler made her way through the trees, her black hair and pink dress dancing around her small frame with each step.

She had massive spiritual powers, yet no means to channel them yet. She was too young. Naraku could only logically pin her searching for the inu-hanyou on her possessing Kikyo's spirit. But she was still was a child, and a careless one at that. He watched as Inuyasha ran and Kagome gave chase. Kanna, knowing her masters desires without having to be told, followed a safe distance behind.

Finally, Naraku watched as Kagome calm to a small pond within the maze of trees. She stopped and leaned down, looking into the clear, still water. She smiled into her reflection. The rotten hanyou gave a venomous grin, satisfied at his brewing plan.

"Push her in, Kanna"

Kanna wordlessly obliged, stepping up to Kagome from behind. Kanna's lifeless face reflected across the still pond, and before Kagome could even turn around or make a noise, she was flying through the air. She let out a blood curdling scream and hit the water hard; the liquid racing up her nose and in her mouth. The water invaded her lungs, yet Kagome screamed through the pain. She struggled to keep her head above the water but failed miserably. The swallow water only pulled her down further the more she fought. Kagome was too young to swim and with each fruitless attempt to propel herself above the fluid, more found it's way into her lungs.

Naraku watched with the excitement of a child coming down to see their presents on Christmas morning. He felt himself hardening at her struggle but didn't satisfy his aching member despite it's protests. _How does it feel Kikyo? You're helpless in that body. Will Inuyasha come save you? Or will he leave you for dead like he did all those years ago._

It didn't take long for the struggle to die. Naraku watched in pure bliss as the child slipped under the waves and didn't resurface; just in time for Inuyasha to make his appearance.

"You're too late Inuyasha!" Naraku near screamed, his voice even cracking in his excitement. But it was short lived. Something glinted in the water and the hanyou went from a high to crashed in 5 seconds flat. " _What's happening?!_ "

It was faint, but Naraku could see it; he could see the child's spiritual power leaking out of her. The soft pink glow nearly sent Naraku into a rampaging rage, but he quickly swallowed it. Inuyasha was jumping into the water now. He made a beeline for Kagome, her spiritual power his guide. The second his hand touched her aspyxiated body, the glow stopped.

 _"Damn you Kikyo!"_ he cursed, red eyes glowing in his growing rage. The hanyou knew he had to relax lest he do something rash. He would work with this.

Naraku watched absent mindlessly as Inuyasha resuscitated the unconscious girl. "The Unmei no Akai Ito... has been tied... " Kanna murmured, "...But not to Kikyo..."

At least Naraku had gained something from this ordeal. One, that Kikyo will not die without a fight and two, Inuyasha was bound to Kagome.

Recollecting himself, Naraku started to laugh. A deep laugh filled with venom. "I pity you, Inuyasha! Your lover has been reborn yet your fate and hers do not intertwine!"

* * *

Naraku was filled with a new hope. He would use this information to make hell for Inuyasha. And the very one who was going to be the instrument for his torture - would be Kikyo herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: I Cannot Leave**

"When I found you, I had not found myself yet, but when I found myself, I had already lost you."  
― Elmar Hussein

* * *

Years could pass like days to a demon. And for Inuyasha, everyday away from the shrine felt like one big depressing blur. He felt a pull to holy grounds, and he wasn't sure why anymore. Kikyo's soul was gone from the place, so other than it being where she died, he no longer had ties to it. Or did he? The hanyou wasn't sure of anything anymore.

After saving the child at the shrine, Inuyasha retreated to the ever receding forests. It was nothing new to him to be alone and fend for himself in the woods. Inuyasha had spent the first century or so of his existence fighting to live, and returned to his hermit life after Kikyo's death. It hadn't been easy for him, since he was a child he had been alone and constantly under attack. Hanyou have always been hated. At first, as Inuyasha's brother Sesshomaru made sure he knew and never forgot, the hatred came from hanyou being a disgrace to pure youkai blood. Now the hatred stemmed from pure jealousy. Hanyou could be seen by humans, could still strike fear in their hearts. A power youkai lost a long time ago.

Inuyasha assumed this was a hanyou's great weakness, his kryptonite. No matter how hard he tried, how many times humans had tried to kill him in the past, he hesitated. He blamed his human blood, it made him weak like the humans. Bound by emotions and conscious that youkai seemed to lack. It was the reason he seeked out the Shikon no Tama to begin with. He wanted power he told himself; but in reality, he to be accepted. Inuyasha always thought it was the youkai he wanted to gain the favour of, but now, he wasn't which side he belonged.

He was caught in a limbo. The link in-between two worlds: the humans and the demons. Yet, he couldn't find a place in any. He supposed he liked the solitude of his existence. He couldn't be hurt if there was no one to hurt him. Sure, youkai attacked him, but physical wounds healed quicker than an emotional one.

This was simply the fate of a hanyou.

Lost in his melancholy, Inuyasha hadn't bothered to keep track of the youkai he knew was hiding somewhere in the shadows. He almost wished it would just attack him already. Fighting kept his mind off depressing shit, and Inuyasha wasn't a fan of being depressed. It was when the monster careened out of it's concealment and scurried right past the hanyou that he just stared.

"Okaaay?" Inuyasha said out loud to no one. He had a face that screamed his confusion for all to see. It took a few seconds for the long body of the centipede woman to rush past him. All the while, he stood there dumbfounded. "I wanted a fight dammit!" he cursed at the creature when he finally snapped out of his confusion. Never once had a youkai hesitated to kill him before. _So where are you running off to then?_ Inuyasha thought as he gave chase.

Following the rotting scent of the demon, he was led further and further out of the forest. Soon he would be out in civilization. Inuyasha slowed his chase. It's scent was quickly disappearing within the human city. _Shit!_ _I can't just let it run loose!_

Inuyasha resumed his pursuit on the youkai. It wasn't just some low level demon that could only give a baby a scare, this thing could kill. Inuyasha's heart sank as he noticed where it was headed.

 _"The Higurashi shrine?"_

* * *

Inside the house, Kagome was still diligently studying for an upcoming math test.

Math was never her strong suit and despite studying for the past three days, she still could not retain the formulas.

Letting out an audible sigh, she massaged her temples at the oncoming headache. She was going to be up all night again. This was her last year of high school and she needed a good grade to get herself into college.

Leaning back in her chair in utter defeat, Kagome let out another loud sigh. "I guess I could always just take over the shrine like jii-san always bugs me to."

She looked out her window, marveling at the stars that could still shine through the light pollution. It was nearly midnight and the crescent moon was high in the sky, giving Kagome a Cheshire smile. She looked out into the trees behind the shrine. For reasons she couldn't explain, she always felt lonely when she looked back there. Her mother had been dead set that Kagome stay away from the area after she had nearly drowned back there.

Kagome remembered that day well. She had been out in the woods looking for someone. _But who?_ she thought. She had come across the stillest body of water she had ever seen and stopped to look into it's reflection. She had told her mother that a girl had pushed her in. In her memory, the girl was white as snow with a dead expression. Her mother had panicked that a girl had somehow become lost in the woods. Her jii-san on the other hand, insisted it was a demon.

Regardless, her mother had called the police and a thorough investigation was preformed. One that yielded no results.

Her mother had also told her about the man who rescued her. Kagome had no memory of it, but she could still feel his warm, powerful hands on her chest whenever her mother recalled the tale to her. Her mothers description was nothing short of fairy tail. A tall man, looking to be no older than 21 wearing a bright red haori and hakama. She said he had the longest hair she had ever seen on a man and it was pure silver. The most unbelievable part of her description was how he had perfect little dog ears atop his head.

Kagome always brushed it off as her mothers worry making her hallucinate, but as the years went on she found herself dreaming about the same mysterious man.

In her dreams, she was walking along side him. She was happy to be with him, though deep in her heart she knew she could never have him; content to only stay by his side. He was mean to be a means to an end; but as she spent more time with him she found herself falling in love. She was a priestess in her dreams, the ones from long ago in the feudal era of Japan. She would fight along side the man against countless fantastical and frightening creatures. To Kagome, the dreams felt more like memories than random pictures pieced together by her mind.

 _Maybe he was who I was trying to find that day._

Just then, Kagome saw a flash of a certain chubby cat clawing at the shrine door that housed the sacred well. Shrugging on a light sweater to fend off the chills of the early morning air, Kagome set out to fetch the cat. They never let Buyo out at night. Kagome would give Sota a smack down if he forgot to lock the cat flap again.

The crisp night air felt great to the fatigued teen. Kagome walked as slowly as possible to enjoy the fresh air. But not before long she had reached the cat, desperately trying to claw it's way into the shrine. She scratched the fat cats head before poking it's wet nose as punishment for sneaking out at night. "Just what do you think you're doing out here, huh, Buyo?" she reprimanded the feline.

The cat acknowledged it's owner, giving her an uninterested mewl before darting it's glowing eyes directly behind her. Buyo let out a warning ' _hiss!_ ', fur sticking out at all ends, before dashing away from a baffled Kagome as fast as it's chubby legs would allow. She watched as the cat ran up to the house and disappeared out of sight. _Well that was weird_.

Suddenly, Kagome's own hair stood on end and she felt her blood go cold in it's veins. She turned around slowly, suddenly fearful of what may be behind her hiding in the dark. But her eyes were met with a big fat _nothing_. Her senses told her otherwise. She _felt_ that something was there, just beyond the trees. Fear paralyzed her as her brain desperately searched for an explanation for her sudden discomfort.

It wasn't much longer under Kagome felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and was thrown a good 10 feet high into the air. She watched in horror as she blood sprayed from her body like a morbid fountain. Time was moving in slow motion as she reached the height of her arch. It was then that she noticed a glint of something falling among the blood. It was perfectly round and glowed a soft pink. It reminded Kagome of the charms her grandfather sold at their shrine.

Time sped up as Kagome began her descent back to earth, hitting the cement of the shrine hard, effectively knocking the wind out of her. She rolled to a stop, sure that she had broken something. She lifted her clouded eyes to look directly at the bloodied jewel situated within arms reach of her. Her heart froze when suddenly a hand materialized from nothing before her eyes. It was holding the jewel, raising it to it's now materializing face to better inspect it.

"Finally!" it hissed, "I've found it!"

Kagome forgot how to breathe. The pain was so intense. She was sure she had hit her head during her fall. Before her stood a massive woman, it's eyes unblinking and harsh. The creature had 6 arms that it held straight out of it's naked torso. Below where there should have been a belly button, skin transitioned to an insects shell. Kagome couldn't keep up with how far off the extending body went. It resembled a morbid centipede. It was then that Kagome recalled the tales her grandfather often told her. " _ **Ōmukade**_ " she gasped.

Kagome tried to move, but was shot by the pain in her side. Looking down to survey the damage, her eyes widened as she was only greeted by a bleeding hole where skin had once been. Her pain intensified with the fear that this may be the last thing she ever witness in life she closed her eyes, fervently praying to every kami she could think of that this wasn't real. She had fallen asleep while she was studying and she was having a stress induced nightmare. She had too much cheese to eat at dinner and it was influencing her dreams. She grasped at any explanation for what was happening.

 _This. Could. Not. Be. Real._

The pain in her side and growing pool of warm liquid pooling around her told her otherwise.

A flash of red and silver crossed her blackening vision. A man with hip-length silver tresses and wearing traditional red clothing was now standing between her and the monster. Looking up weakly, Kagome saw two triangular atop the mans head.

"Yup, I've officially lost it." was the last thing Kagome managed to utter before surrendering the the creeping blackness, leaving her in a cold dark abyss.

* * *

Inuyasha followed the scent of the Ōmukade, the centipede youkai that was making its way through the city. He knew where it was heading as he gave chase. Why was fate so cruel to him? He had just left the place, now he was on his way back. If his human heart wasn't beating so strong in his chest, he would've left it to its own devices. But he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Besides, he felt something more important was going on. Inuyasha hadn't seen such a strong demon in centuries. They all seemingly disappeared, leaving only the weaklings.

The closer Inuyasha got to the shrine, the stronger the pull he felt on his heart. He had felt it for years while he was in hiding. It burned in his chest, making him anxious. _Something is definitely wrong here._

Stopping atop a tree at the base of the shrine, he heightened all his senses searching for the youkai. It was here all right, though it must have made a hard bank to the opposite side of the hill. Behind the rotting stench of pure demon, he picked an overwhelming scent of vanilla and cashmere. It made his instincts go crazy. He couldn't be thinking of the feminine scent though, the rot was moving. He leaped out of his tree and hopped up the hill effortlessly.

As he reached the top, his eye was instantly drawn to the girl standing in front of one of the shrines, talking to a cat. She wore a deep blue pajama set with a light pink hoodie slung over it. Her thick jet black hair was held back haphazardly in a loose bun, allowing rebellious locks of hair to fall from it's confines. Something seemed to catch her attention around the same time it had Inuyasha's. The cat she was previously scolding ran off out of sight, leaving the girl to turn and face the Ōmukade alone, but despite the youkai racing towards her, she did not move.

The youkai quickly closed in on the girl. "Move it!" Inuyasha screamed but the girl clearly didn't hear him. He could only watch as the youkai dug it's foul teeth into her, flinging her high into the air. Blood sprayed everywhere, hitting his nose with metallic rust. His keen eyes caught her face then. He felt his entire body go numb.

 _"Kikyo"_ he found himself muttering to no one. The girl resembled Kikyo so perfectly. It sent his heart into uneven beats. He only snapped out of his daze when she hit the ground hard. He could hear ribs crack on impact. She rolled to only land a few feet away from a shimmering pink jewel.

Within seconds, the youkai had grabbed the jewel. Only then did the girl seem to finally notice the gravity of the situation. He could smell the fear on her now, overpowering the shock she had previously. It was only then that Inuyasha felt his body move on instinct more than his command. Within seconds he was between the two. Her scent was masked by her own blood, sending the hanyou into a rage. Everything in his mind told him this wasn't Kikyo, but his protective instincts had kicked in. He wanted this youkai's blood.

Looking from the unconscious Kikyo look-a-like to the Ōmukade, he barely noticed the bloody Shikon no Tama it held in one of it's many hands. He didn't care how it had gotten the jewel, he just wanted it dead. And as the youkai moved to swallow the jewel, Inuyasha lunged forward. He effortlessly drove his clawed hand through the demon's heart. It let out a scream as rotting blood sprayed out from it's wound.

As Inuyasha removed his soiled hand from within the creature, it had already started to vanish, leaving behind nothing but it's bones. The jewel clanged to the ground and rolled out from the bony hand towards the hanyou. He leaned down to pick it up, pocketing it as he turned to face the injured girl. He calmly knelled down beside her, gingerly lifting her in his arms. She was covered in her own blood but her heart still beat strong in her chest.

Relief washed over Inuyasha like a wave and he released a breath he hadn't realized he had held in. Kagome stirred at the motion and pressed herself harder into Inuyasha's chest. Looking more intently at the girl in his arms he noticed how calm her expression was. She was smiling in her sleep.

What was with this girl? Sure, Kikyo was strong but even that would have had her out for the count. She just had her side violently ripped out and she was sleeping like a child. Her wound had even stopped bleeding. She was warm in his arms and despite the sickening stench of her blood, he could still smell her sweet scent. Where Kikyo smelt of incense, she smelt like vanilla and cashmere. _So she was the source of that scent._

She looked so much like Kikyo but now that he was closer, he could tell the minuet difference in her appearance. Her face looked innocent, free of stress or worry lines that Kikyo had sported due to years fighting for her life. Her skin was flawless and had a warm glow despite the blood loss. Her lips were pinker, her nose smaller and her lashes considerably longer. _This isn't Kikyo, so why do I still feel this pull to her?_

Her eyes squeezed together and she let out a small moan. _'Oh shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!'_ Inuyasha cursed at himself, looking around panicked for his escape. She was waking up and Inuyasha was just sitting there with her in his arms. What had possessed him to put himself in this situation in the first place?!

His eyes widened in panic as her eyelids slowly fluttered open. He watched as too long eyelashes raised to reveal deep chocolate brown eyes. He winced inwardly, preparing his ears flat against his head for the scream that was about to come.

* * *

Kagome was instantly hit by the sharp pain in her side, followed soon by the warmth that enveloped her. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes, scared of what may await her on the other side.

But there was nothing. The monster that had attacked her had vanished as soon as it had arrived. Kagome was confused to say the least. Perhaps she was dreaming after all...

She felt the warmth around her tense. She noticed she was nuzzled in someones chest. It couldn't have been her mother, it was too strong...

Blinking a few times, her brain finally processing that she was, in fact, awake. She was still outside in the courtyard of the shrine. She finally decided to look up and see just who was holding her. When she saw him though, she forgot how to breathe for probably the third time this hour.

She was staring into brilliant amber eyes she had ever seen. His face was covered by a curtain of silver bangs that framed it perfectly to emphasis his strong jaw. He was gorgeous. She was sure she was looking into the face of a god. It made her completely forget her pain.

That was, until she noticed the fangs through his slightly opened mouth and felt claws pinch her shoulders. Further up atop his silver head sat two perfect ears - like a dogs. Despite his looks, Kagome was not afraid, in fact, she felt safer in his arms than she had in a long time.

She couldn't help but stare at his ears. _How curious..._ she felt this strong urge to reach out and touch them. Her brain was searching for anything to reassure her that what she was seeing wasn't a hallucination. She slowly lifted her small hand, inching it closer and closer to her targets. She could feel fur brush up against her finger tips and she flinched back. Gathering her courage, she reached out and grabbed the ears, rubbing them gently.

Kagome was sure she had seen him before, yet no matter how much she racked her brain, it yielded no results. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had known him for a very long time. Frowning a little at her inability to remember, she slowed her fingers realizing just how rude she was probably just being.

Looking into his eyes now and watched as they went from shocked (probably at her boldness), to relaxed as she resumed her ministrations on his ears. She watched as a muscle in his face twitched before his eyes lost their cloudiness. He was looking at her intently now. It was only then that she removed her hands.

Inuyasha had been enjoying it a little too much. He was getting too drowsy and relaxed at her petting. When he finally realized just how empty of thought his mind was, he jerked back to life. He was dumbfounded. Why had she not run away from him screaming?

Before Inuyasha could even process it, he opened his mouth.

"Are you alright Kikyo?"

* * *

 **AN: Holy crap! I actually shortened this chapter. I think it's a little too early for 6k+ word chapters (which this chapter would easily reach if I added all that was originally in it)**

 **Terms you should know:** _ **Ōmukade:**_ **Giant, human-eating centipede that lives in the mountains. Shown as "Mistress Centipede".  
**

 **I want to THANK YOU ALL for the love and support I'm getting for this fic. The demographic is so global and so far the reviews are so positive. Every time I open up my email and see a new favourite, follow or review I jump for joy.**

 **Reviewers acknoweldgment: Vita Rubella, Celeste027 Thank you so much for your positive reviews! XOXOX**

 **Warm-Amber92- to answer your question, all I'm going to say about Inuyasha being bound to Kikyo is in the next chapter or two it'll be explained fully. And yes, I want to make Naraku as creepy and disturbed as possible. about 5 centuries of hiding would make anyone so a little stir crazy after all.  
**

 **I wanted to take this time to say how I plan to update this story, I'll update as soon as I'm 2 chapters ahead in my rough draft. So, in other words, the longer you wait the more care - or lengthier - the chapter will be. I work on this everyday (since I'm currently unemployed and bored out of my mind at home). so the updates will come quick.**

 **Other than that, thank you so much for reading so far! Reviews are welcomed and loved!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I just want to reassure everything that this is** **not** **a Kikyo/Inuyasha fanfic. I actually rather hate Kikyo, but I'm using her as a means to create a deeper plot and more dynamic character (especially for Inuyasha).**

 **Now, a bit of a warning, this chapter will have a bit of molestation/near rape. I warned that this story would have heavy themes, but it starts in this chapter. Also, it's hella long. It's about 22 pages long in my notebook so I'm splitting it into two separate chapters. So enjoy and leave a review, let me know if you like longer chapters or shorter ones!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Challenge Fate  
**

"Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions."  
― Primo Levi

* * *

Kagome looked around. She was pretty sure she was the only one there.

"Who's Kikyo?" she asked, "My name is Kagome."

"Kagome...?" Inuyasha said in a half question, just barely audible. _Why does that sound so familiar?_

"Keh, forget about it." Inuyasha quickly interjected, changing topic off of his stupid blunder. "Are you alright? Can you walk?"

"I-I think so..." Kagome muttered, pushing her weight upwards and instantly regretting it. Her side and ribs screamed in agony. Small beads of blood formed against her hip before gathering enough weight to snake down her body on to be absorbed by her pajama pants. Kagome let out a small yelp in pain. "Sorry, guess not."

Inuyasha could smell her fresh blood, it overpowered the reek of the dried blood that assaulted his senses. He instantly cursed at himself. _Of course she can't walk you idiot._

"Here, hold this." Inuyasha ordered. He held out his clawed hand as Kagome brought hers to meet it. She opened her hand waiting for whatever he was about to give to her. His own fit completely obstructed his view as he dropped the Shikon no Tama into her grasp. It was then that he noticed just how small she actually was. He dwarfed literally everything about her. Unlike Kikyo who held herself to seem much bigger than she actually was, Kagome screamed at Inuyasha's demon that she needed protection.

Kagome looked down at her open palm, the light pink from the jewel adding small stars in her eyes. She could feel the pure power pulsing off from it. _This came out of me?!_

She opened her mouth to ask just _what_ the jewel was but only managed another small yelp as Inuyasha raised himself full height, bringing Kagome with him. "Hold on" he said rhetorically, she was gripping onto him for dear life as he leaped into the air. He was carrying her bridal style, the gesture seeming oddly romantic considering they had just met. She was so caught up in the moment that she barely even noticed when he gently landed on her window sill. He pushed open her window and stepped inside, walking over to her bed and carefully setting her down.

She winced as she was placed onto her bed, her ribs bending in just the wrong way. She looked up at the strange man and it dawned on her that this was the first time she had ever been alone in her room with a boy. Normally, the thought would make her uneasy; but for some reason unfathomable to Kagome, being with him just felt... natural.

Inuyasha moved away from Kagome, stepping through her pink room that was not at all age appropriate for the teenager. The entirety of the space smelled like her. Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to stay there with here, but the scent was making him too relaxed. He wouldn't allow himself to to get close to another human. He had already loved and lost and he was not at all willing to go through it again.

As he carelessly stepped up into her window, he heard her shift in her bed. His ears twitched and as much as his mind was willing his legs to just _move_ he couldn't do it. His muscles protested relentlessly.

"Wait!" she cried out to him. He didn't look back. He felt a pull to this girl and he was sure that if he looked at her now, he would never be able to leave. If he thought his legs weren't responding before, now he had no control of them. He was stuck halfway out of the too pink room, hesitating to leave the strange girl he had just met yet couldn't explain why he had the overwhelming urge to protect.

He must have really done something to get on God's bad side for this to be happening.

Kagome noticed his hesitance, stilling her heart a fraction. His long silvery hair was lightly dancing in the breeze of her open window. It wretched at her very soul for him to leave her.

"Please, don't leave." she begged, "what if that _thing_ comes back?" She added as an after thought, thinking it gave her more reason to convince him to stay.

Inuyasha sighed, "It's not coming back, it's dead."

"Well you can't just leave!" Kagome sat up, ignoring her screaming ribs and side. "What's going on? What was that thing? What's the jewel thing that came out of me?!" She spat out questions as fast as her mind could think of them. Finally, she lowered her frantic voice, "...I don't even know your name..."

Inuyasha finally lowered himself from her window, accepting he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. He silently cursed to himself as he turned around, facing her. _God, did she ever look like Kikyo..._ _But Kikyo is dead_. There was no way it could be her, everything except her looks told him she wasn't the dead priestess. Rationally, he could accept this, but his heart still held on to that hope. She held her likeness, and Inuyasha couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

He let out an audible sigh, giving in to his heart's blazing desire, he walked up to her bed and knelt down on his haunches. Closer to her again, he was reminded again that as much as she may have resembled Kikyo, her appearance was still unique. Her eyes were rounder than Kikyo's her lose softer and smaller and her frame much more petite. Where Kikyo was beauty and grace, Kagome was cute and innocent. He soon found himself not looking at her for any hint of Kikyo, but rather just to study Kagome as she was.

Kagome stared back at the man inches away from her face. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as it reddened at his intense glare. _What is he doing!_

"Inuyasha" he finally spoke.

"Huh?" Kagome asked confused.

"My name," Inuyasha said, louder now unsure if she had heard or not. "It's Inuyasha."

Kagome smiled. She had forgotten she had even asked after he invaded her personal space.

"Thank you for saving me, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked away, now it was his turn to blush. "Yea, don't mention it." He said harshly, hiding his true emotions. _Damn this girl! Get a hold of yourself!_

Kagome opened her hand, looking down at the shimmering jewel inside it. _That had been inside me all this time?_ She suddenly felt empty, a literal piece of her had been torn out - even if it was an inanimate object.

Inuyasha gave Kagome a sideways glance. Her eyes picked up the pink sparkles from the jewel, adding pinks to brown. He quickly looked away again, demanding his heart to shut the hell up. She made him flustered and he hated it. She was making him go against his better judgement which the battle hardened hanyou knew would mean death. He hated the way she made him feel and for that he found himself hating her - which only made him hate himself.

"The Shikon no Tama" he spoke up, not looking at her even remotely, "All _you_ have to know is that it's an important gem; very valuable." he added to emphasis his point, "Hold on to it. It's yours." He had lost interest in the jewel a long time ago anyways. Even if he used it, he wasn't sure which side he belonged to anymore. He had seen too much disaster happen to too many people to even want to use it regardless.

He stood up again, he had had his moment, now it was time to leave. He couldn't get close to this human, he wouldn't allow it. That didn't mean he had to like it.

"Please don't go!" Kagome yelled out flustered. She didn't want him to leave. She felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety at the very thought of spending the night alone. "Please... just for tonight... I'm scared." she confessed.

Inuyasha begrudgingly looked at her one last time, instantly regretting it as his heart took hold over his mind again. Her eyes were still sparkling from the Shikon no Tama, emphasizing the wetness that was forming. Without saying a word he noiselessly plopped himself down on the floor at the foot of her bed, crossing his arms in annoyance. He heard her shuffle her sheets around before settling into a comfortable position.

"Thank you" she said in a sweet voice. Inuyasha simply scoffed in reply.

Not even five minutes later, kagome was asleep, the soft serenity of peaceful dreams overcoming her.

* * *

Kagome woke up to the sun shining directly in her eyes. She sat up, stretching. She had the best sleep she'd had in years; she hadn't even moved at all last night.

With her muscles loosening, she relaxed. Her eyes fell instinctively to the foot of her bed. Inuyasha was gone. ' _What an odd dream'_ she thought, throwing her blanket off of her. Her eyes caught the small pink object that flew out of her sheets, clanging to the ground before rolling to a smooth stop by her desk. Her eyes widened and went down to look at her bloody clothes. Suddenly completely awake, she jumped out of bed, nearly face-planting on the floor as her blankets tangled in her legs. She ran to her mirror, lifting her shirt to inspect her wounds...

But they were gone; not even a scar to prove what had happened to her just a few hours prior. he gave a soft poke to her ribs but was greeted by no pain. She had completely healed. _But how? Just what is happening to me?!_

 _"_ Kagome!" she heard her mother call, "if you don't hurry up you're going to be late for school!"

"Oh no!" Kagome finally let out the scream she was holding in. Frantically, she kicked off her pajama pants and began to lift her top. Just as the fabric was on the cusp of letting her bare breasts spill out of the thin fabric, she heard her window open.

Time slowed to a near halt as Kagome turned around in slow motion, her shirt finally making it's way over her head allowing her breasts to fall free from their shelter. She was only in a skimpy white pair of panties. Her mouth was wide open as her eyes fell on the very concerned looking Inuyasha perched in her window.

"What happened?!" he barked out, looking around the room for any sign of danger until his eyes fell on to a very naked Kagome.

Time resumed it's normal pace as Kagome's face burned red. Just as inuyasha had processed what he was looking at his own face turning it's own shade of red. He didn't even have to avert his eyes before Kagome was screaming again.

" **GET OUT!** "she screeched at a level she didn't even know she could achieve. She balled up her bloody shirt before whipping it at the awestruck hanyou in her window, the shock of the sudden attack sending him crashing to the ground below.

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed at no one in particular, "that's the thanks I get?" He had heard her scream so he assumed some kind of demon had broken into her room. The image of her bare body flashed across his mind, making his already red face even more vibrant. "I don't even know why I'm so worried. _Clearly_ she can take care of herself." he murmured to himself as he gathered up the shirt she had just used as a weapon. It reeked of her blood. He wondered how she had even managed to stand up, much less throw a record breaking free throw at him when not even 7 hours ago she couldn't even move.

His ears twitched as they picked up the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs. Still holding onto her ruined clothing he made a dash towards the treeline.

Three girls came into view and headed straight for the house. "Kagome!" one of the girls called out. Right on queue, a clothed Kagome emerged from the door, although with that outfit she had on Inuyasha figured she may as well be naked. She was wearing a sailor outfit with a dark blue plaid skirt that showed way too much leg. He noticed that all the girls were dressed like that, causing his anger to burn thinking of all the perverted stares Kagome would be getting once she left the safety of the shrine. He found himself wishing girls still dressed like they had back in his day. It was much more modest, leaving it up to the imagination, unlike now a days when a breeze would show prying eyes everything.

Inuyasha had stopped trying to figure out why he had felt so possessive over a girl he had only met a few hours ago and simply allowed it now. There was no fighting his instincts. Besides, it was a waste of energy to try to fight something he couldn't change.

Kagome and her group of friends started across the shrine, headed for the stairs exiting the holy grounds. Inuyasha watched as Kagome stopped and looked towards the small shrine that housed the dry well. Inuyasha had removed the bones of the omukade and thrown them into the well after she had fallen asleep. It had taken him all night to collect all the damn bones. The annoying thing about the centipede youkai was that if their remains were not disposed of properly, it would simply revive. He had actually just finished clean up when he heard Kagome's scream...

But Kagome wasn't looking for the bones of the demon that had attacked her last night, but at her own blood that stained the concrete; only snapping out of her daze when her friends called for her to hurry up.

* * *

To say Kagome's commute to school was normal would be a blatant lie. The entire walk from the shrine to the subway she swore she could see birds with three eyes, flashes of long bodies flying in the sky or even people with tails or animal parts standing amongst the swarms of people.

She placed her hand over her chest pocket of her navy blue blazer protectively, feeling the pulse of the Shikon no Tama against her hand. She knew she couldn't keep it in her room in case her grandpa or mother came in and mistook it for a charm and try to sell it. She felt uneasy going into the world with such a valuable item sitting in her pocket. She would have to find a safer way to carry it around.

Kagome could _feel_ the creatures staring into her very soul with their many eyes. Could her friends not see them? They hadn't said anything if they could...

Their very presence made her hair stand on end. She could just sense that they all had evil intentions, making her so anxious she felt like she was about to kneel over and retch out the very meager breakfast she had managed to eat.

The crowded train platform wasn't any better than the streets. In every shadow, every dark corner, some form of malevolent creature lurked. Kagome watched as they gathered, causing birds to scatter, rats to scurry and previously content babies to wail in fear.

She couldn't hold her silence any longer. "Hey guys...?" she asked meekly, "have you noticed anything... odd today?" She purposefully avoided asking if they were seeing flying lizard monkey's, that would land her in a mental hospital for sure.

The girls looked at her quizzically. Finally, one of them spoke up, "No, why do you ask, Kagome?"

"Oh, no reason." Kagome quickly interjected with a small half-smile. She was disappointed to say the least. Looks like she was going crazy after all.

"If you say so." another one of her friends added. They all looked at her with concern visible on their faces.

Kagome felt the jewel in her pocket give a powerful pulse, like it wanted to get her attention. She turned around to see the final member of her group push her way through the hoards of early morning commuters. Her dark hair brown was flapping behind her in a loose ponytail held by a white ribbon. Kagome could see her signature hot pink eye shadow from a mile away.

"Oh, Sango!" Kagome said, snapping out of her previous stupper. "Why are you so late?"

Sango slowed her pace as she got closer to the group. She was faking a pant, acting as if her run had exhausted her. Sango was one of the best martial artists in the country and was in crazy good shape. Yet, for some reason didn't want anyone to know that she could bring down hoards of men without breaking a sweat. Not that many people guessed it, Sango's feminine charms could kill an army of men alone. Kagome wasn't even completely positive her other groupies knew that about Sango. She guessed that was why she was putting on such a stupid act.

Kagome and Sango had been best friends since kindergarten. Kagome had been getting bullied back then, mainly for her unusual name. Kids would tease her by playing endless games of "kagome kagome" with her, or even going as far as saying she was pregnant. Sango noticed and "intervened" (by holding a kid up by the collar of his shirt and threatening to beat the crap out of who ever picked on her again). They had been inseparable since. The two were like sisters.

"Sorry!" Sango apologized, straightening up, "my parents were giving Kohaku and me a lecture, so we left a little later then usual."

A soft bell chimed across the platform, signaling for commuters to step back as the train was going to arrive soon.

"But looks like I still made it in the nick of time!"

The train rushed by, bringing a violent gust of wind behind with five girls feeling the wind tease at the hems of their skirts, instinctively held the dancing fabric down. The doors hissed open, unleashing a wave of rushing bodies. As soon as the traffic died down the girls all scurried onto the crowded train.

Kagome caught a white blur in the corner of her eye. Right out in the open there stood a little girl, dressed completely in white. In her hands was a small decorative mirror in which Kagome could see her own reflection. The ghostly girl just stood there, as did Kagome, completely lost in the mirror. A second bell chimed and Kagome felt a strong tug on her arm, sending her barreling into the train. The door closed not a second later. Kagome turned to see the seething face of Sango.

"What do you think you're doing, Kagome!?" Sango reprimanded, earning a few stares from the other passengers. "Not only were you dangerously close to the train, but you almost missed it! Who knows what some creep would have done to you if you waited alone for the next one?!"

Kagome blinked away her blank stare before Sango would lecture her on that too. She had always been too motherly for her own good, especially towards her younger brother.

As soon as Sango took a break to breathe, Kagome rushed in with her answer before she would be assaulted with another barrage of questions.

"I guess I just haven't been feeling all that good today, that's all" Kagome said with a small smile to reassure her friends she was fine. Her hand moved to the jewel. Even now, a three eyed crow the size of a cat was flying alongside the train.

Sango moved into her line of sight, blocking the window. She stared at Kagome with a jewelers eye. "Yeah, you don't look so good," Sango remarked, placing her hand gently on her forehead. "Huh, no fever though. Maybe you should ask to go home for today. And don't worry, I'll be sure to take notes and be by later to drop them off."

"Thank you Sango." Kagome said, a genuine smile on her face this time. She couldn't ask for a better friend. "When we get to school I'll ask the nurse for a pass."

Sango smiled back, hugging her friend tightly. "Anytime, dear."

* * *

Kagome walked out of the school, dread weighing her down like a ten tonne brick. Those creatures were everywhere. Even her school seemed to have an infestation. She watched as small imps stole pencils or poked at the heads of students who were taking tests. Everywhere she went they were there, out of sight to everyone but her.

But now Kagome was alone. She knew she could not defend herself against some of these things. She had proven the outcome of an outcome of an altercation last night with the overgrown centipede.

She pulled out the Shikon no Tama from her breast pocket and fisted it tightly. Opening her palm to inspect the strange gem that was inside of her just a few hours prior. It was so weird for her, it felt so familiar yet so foreign. Suddenly, Kagome felt incredibly uneasy. She could feel cold, dead eyes staring at her from all angles. Looking up from the jewel her stomach flew into her throat as the creatures who had been previously content in hiding in shadows were slowly approaching her.

Panic shot through Kagome like an arrow. Before she knew it, the jewel was back in her pocket and she was running down empty streets. It wasn't long until her legs found her in completely unrecognized territory.

Kagome panted heavily. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins so intensely that she swore it had replaced her blood entirely. Her mind screamed at her to keep running, but her body stopped responding to it's will. Her throat was so raw from over exertion she felt like she was about to vomit blood.

"My my, what a pretty young girl I've stumbled upon," a velvet male voice cut through Kagome's ear's like knifes. Her heart stopped dead in her chest as she turned to find the source. She was greeted by a fairly normal looking man wearing traditional clothing, much better than a multi-eyed embodiment of hell itself. Yet still, something about him made Kagome increasingly uneasy. Her instincts screamed at her to run. She cursed at herself when her legs nearly gave out under her

Before Kagome could even blink, he was directly in front of her. She could feel his breath dance across her skin, sending needles down her entire body. He had blood red eyes that studied her intently.

" _Yes_!" he moaned into her ear. "Your fear is intoxicating. I think I'll enjoy you first before I take the jewel..."

Her entire body froze. His breath sending waves of pure panic and anxiety throughout her. Her mind was feeding it commands that it would not obey. "This... is about the jewel...?" she managed to ask in a shaky voice.

He leaned closer to her, licking her face, grinning at his approval of his prey. "Of course it is. You hold the jewel yet you didn't expect this to happen? Or maybe you wanted this..." he whispered the last part directly into her ear. She could _hear_ the grin in his voice. "A young, attractive female traveling alone with the Shikon no Tama - completely unguarded might I add. I would expect the reincarnation of Kikyo to know better. You wanted this."

His hand snaked down her shoulder, cupping over her breast, slithering past her hips until it reached the hem of her shirt. He easily raised the fabric, using his free hand to trap Kagomes. It was then that the real gravity of the situation came crashing down on her. He didn't just intend to take the jewel or her life, but also her innocence.

 _Someone, please, anyone, save me!_

* * *

 **Terms you should know: Kagome- Symoblizes a basket, the weaves of a basket, a bird in a cage or a pregnant woman.**

 ** _Thank you to all those who've left a review or followed/favourited this story! I'll make sure Naraku doesn't come for you next..._  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Instinct**

"There will be a few times in your life when all your instincts will tell you to do something, something that defies logic, upsets your plans, and may seem crazy to others. When that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complications, and just go for it."  
― Judith McNaught, _Remember When_

* * *

Inuyasha had a sickening feeling since Kagome disappeared down the steps of the shrine. The rot of youkai permeated from the city like a rotting sponge, setting the hanyou on edge.

Inuyasha just couldn't sit still. His instincts were going crazy, his inner demon barking at him to stop being such a coward and go after a girl he had only just met. He didn't know why he still cared so much, especially after the little run in with her he had that morning. He had developed a severe case of restless leg syndrome. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was _wrong_. The scent of her old blood on her shirt wasn't helping him much either.

 _Aw, fuck it._

Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore. He hopped down from his perch within the shroud of trees and made his way to the house, completely disregarding the one or two shrine visitors. He effortlessly leaped up to her second story window, casting aside the glass panel and stepping inside. Her privacy on the last thing on his mind as he scanned the room.

He could still her old blood permeate from under her bed, masked by some kind of harsh chemical she must have put on it so it wouldn't stain. He looked down at her discarded shirt, knowing it was too late to get the blood out of the fabric at this point. He tossed it under her bed with the other bloodied garment. She could deal with it, he wasn't about to get knocked out of a second story window again.

He looked down at her bed, remembering her as she slept. He would never admit it if asked, but he watched her. She was just so... _innocent._ Who falls asleep so soundly with a complete stranger, much less a man in your room. _Especially_ a male half-demon who still had the body of a late teenager who hadn't known the company of a woman... _ever_.

Yup, she must be stupid.

But he still couldn't help being drawn to her. She made him calm. He guessed that's why his demon wanted him to come to her room in the first place. The scent that had set him on edge the night before was now working to calm his restless nerves. What he once wanted to so desperately escape, he found himself longing to be embraced by.

He couldn't help but be annoyed at how Kagome made him feel. She sent him through emotions he hadn't felt in centuries. Anxiety, reassurance, protective, _longing_.

This one human was about to break his streak of not getting involved. He had just accepted his place in this world, forever fighting to live another day, now she ripped that foundation out from under him. He was left to fall in dangerous territory. He wanted nothing more than to be with her, to protect her; but how could he do that if he was going to be a cause of the danger? He had no place in this world, Kagome did. He wouldn't rip her from it for his own selfish gain.

But what could he do? Youkai of all walks of life wanted that jewel, he couldn't just leave her to die, but he couldn't stay with her either.

Violently and without warning, something inside Inuyasha snapped. He help the most sickening feeling of danger he had ever felt before in his life. He could hear Kagome in her head calling out for help.

That was it. Inuyasha bounded out of her room, not caring if the world saw him at this point.

 _How could I have been so damn careless!_ he chastised himself, knowing he should've stopped being such a damn pussy and listened his instinct to follow her.

He made a mad dash for it, following her lingering scent as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. The rot of demons was overwhelming within the city limits. Inuyasha wasn't the best person to ask about demon activity, he didn't really keep up with their affairs; but he knew that this many demons within human territory was definitely unusual. It hadn't been this bad in over 200 ears if he recalled correctly.

He heard some of the humans below scream as he flew through the polluted city skies. He could feel their eyes burning a hole into his back as he went, but he didn't care. The only thing on his mind right now was Kagome.

He jumped over anything he could, trying his best to avoid the crowded city streets. His anxiety was flashing unwanted images of holding Kikyo in his arms as she died, only now it was Kagome in his grip, bloody and cold. _She's not going to die, I won't allow it!_

 _But what if it's already too late..._

"Hang in there, Kagome!" he yelled uncaring of who may of heard as he followed her growing scent through the city. He knew he was getting close. He tried his best to focus on the cashmere and not the fear that mixed with it, _especially_ trying to tune out the unmistakable reek of youkai and male excitement.

He came across a small alleyway completely devoid of human activity. _What the hell was she thinking coming here?!_ Rage burned throughout his entire body. He could feel himself giving in to his demon's desire for blood. He could smell her, she was close. It wasn't Kagome that he spotted first, rather the fucker that was pinning her against the jagged brick wall. Her shirt was thrown carelessly behind them, her perfect breasts from this morning were bruised and a little bloody. The bastard was biting her neck as his filthy hands tried to work her skirt off. He could smell the salt of her tears.

Inuyasha could feel himself losing control, his demon barking and scowling at his protests to stay conscious and aware, the last thing he needed was to scare or harm Kagome. His rescue mission would be in vain if he ended up killing his damsel in his rage.

Inuyasha swooped down from the building, bearing his claws and fangs as a sign of dominance and superiority. That bloody youkai dared to touch _his_ woman, and he would pay the price for it ten fold with his own blood.

" **GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF HER!"** he growled loudly as he lunged at her attacker.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said, choking on her sobs, relief washing over her like a wave. Her attacker, startled at the sudden attack released her, just barely dodging Inuyasha's blow. Kagome rushed towards Inuyasha, uncaring of her nakedness. She had intended to go in for a hug but his powerful hand pushed her away. He was out for blood and he _damn_ well was going to get it.

Kagome dropped softly to the ground, not even wincing when her bare knees met concrete. She felt cold and distant. Why was all this happening to her? In the past couple hours alone she had been nearly killed, faced horrifying hallucinations that may or may not actually _be_ hallucinations, she was nearly raped and now, for the second time Inuyasha had come to her rescue. She suddenly felt weaker than she ever had before. Her world was flip flopping around her and she was helpless to stop it. It was only the deep growl from Inuyasha and the soft chuckle from her attacker that brought her crashing back to earth.

"Now now, Inuyasha, that's no way to treat a lady," her attacker hissed in ice cold velvet.

"Like you're one to talk, bastard!" Inuyasha snapped back, his entire body twitching in anger and anticipation. His vision was turning red in rage. _Don't lose control_ he kept repeating to himself like a mantra.

"Inuyasha..." his ears twitched at Kagome's shaky, hushed voice, "he has the jewel."

Without taking his eyes off of the red eyed man in front of him, Inuyasha deftly removed his haori and tossed it over Kagome's head. "Cover up and go hide," he ordered, sounding harsher than he intended to. She nodded, wrapping the warm red fabric around herself and clumsily making her way behind the corner.\

"What a nice little reunion we have here!" the man said excitedly, waving his arms out for emphasis. He was grinning maliciously, it made Inuyasha sick to his stomach. "It's been far too long."

"Who the fuck are you?" Inuyasha spat back. He knew that he looked familiar, but he had been in solitary for so long faces were all a blur now.

"Calm down, _dog"_ he said, his voice laced with contempt. "Don't tell me you've forgotten? What will I ever tell your father? What a disloyal son and demon you are." he paused, making sure Inuyasha could see his grin, "oh, that's right, forgive me, you're not a demon but a half-demon. A despicable _hanyou_. Of course your memory is sub par. I guess that would explain why you're with another woman"

Inuyasha flashed his fangs in warning, cracking his clawed fingers. "It's none of your business."

The man laughed, making the red in Inuyasha's vision creep even further. "Oh, but it is. Let me formally introduce myself," he said, bowing slightly. "My name is Hiten, the elder of the thunder brothers. Ringing any bells yet, halfy?"

Inuyasha was struck with recognition. Last he heard of the brothers they had become lackeys under his father.

"Ah, I see I've struck a chord." Hiten said slyly.

"What is the meaning of this," Inuyasha barked out, still blinded in rage. Hiten and Maten were both extremely loyal to his father, for him to be after the jewel would only mean...

"Do you intend to betray my father?"

"More like get even. Your father _allowed_ our race to fall. All we do now is hide like cowards!" Hiten spat out, losing his cool, "Human's are _nothing_. Why must we stay in the shadows when we could easily overthrow them all?!"

Hiten moved his gaze over to Kagome, eyeing her like a lion before it pounces on it's prey. "Once we heard our precious Kagome over here had the jewel, I was sent out to retrieve it. Of course, that doesn't mean I couldn't have a little fun with her."

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Inuyasha snapped. He had heard enough. He didn't care for the jewel, for his father, and _especially_ not Hiten. He jumped the youkai before he had a chance to react. His claws made contact with his chest plate, rending it in half. The Shikon no Tama clanged to the ground and Inuyasha quickly kicked it towards Kagome before Hiten could pick it back up.

Hiten scowled at Inuyasha. He had not come prepared to fight. He was anticipating an easy retrieval. His blood ran down his chest, dripping to the ground in steady beats. He would have to cut his loses this time. With a swift movement Hiten took to the sky, blazing wheels hovering around his ankles.

"I did not come here to fight, _hanyou_. But don't think this is over. As long as that girl carries the jewel she will never be safe. I will come after her, other youkai will come after her. It will never end. It'd be better if you just cut your loses and hid away like a good puppy with your tail between your legs."

"Don't run away from me, you coward!" Inuyasha barked as he lunged at Hiten again. But he was already gone.

* * *

 **AN: New chapters every Friday/Saturday. Thank you for reading and leave a fav/review!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: What Makes You Smile?

"Because if you take a risk, you just might find what you're looking for."  
― Susane Colasanti, _Take Me There _

* * *

Kagome was shaking uncontrollably as she clung on to Inuyasha's haori for dear life. _There are more of them… They won't stop until they have the jewel…_

Inuyasha carefully approached, hesitantly swallowing his anger. "He's gone." He said in the calmest voice he could muster.

Kagome didn't move. Her eyes where dilated and wild; _oh God, what about my family?! Are they even safe?!_

Inuyasha knelt down in front of her and gently placed his non-bloodied hand on her shoulder. She jerked away from him. This annoyed Inuyasha. "Oi, Kagome, he's gone. I'm not going to hurt you!"

Finally, she raised her eyes to look at him. She couldn't stop the burning sensation that welled up in her eyes as tears began to form. She threw herself into his chest, causing Inuyasha to stiffen in shock.

"You came!" she sobbed out, half muffled in his chest.

Inuyasha didn't know how to react to the sudden contact. Her bare chest was pressed against his body and he was suddenly glad that her face was buried in his chest. He wanted to hold and comfort her so badly but couldn't bring himself to do it.

He could feel his shirt getting wet and could smell the salt of her fresh tears.

"Oi!" Inuyasha spat, pulling away from her, "Stop crying!"

She hicced.

"I said stop!"

Kagome pulled away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. This was not the time to be crying. Her life was bout to become a thousands times more painful than this. The thought scared her, but her resolve drove her to push forward. She would do whatever it took to protect those she loved.

Even if it ended up killing her in the process.

New found resolve rushed through Kagome, giving her a new found strength. This was no longer only about her. She'd show any yokai who dare near her family a new world of pain.

Inuyasha could feel the sudden change in Kagome. He felt like they were connected at some deeper level that he couldn't explain. Could she feel it too?

 _God… so much for staying away from her._

Kagome looked over to her discarded top laying haphazardly on the ground. It was torn and scorched in some places; it was completely un-wearable. Even her bra had been ripped apart. _Great, more clothes ruined._ She'd have to ask Sango to go shopping in the coming days if this kept up.

To Kagome's great satisfaction, it was Inuyasha who stood up first, breaking the awkward intimacy between them. He turned his face to the side, holding out a hand. Kagome hesitantly placed her hand in his, not expecting the sudden grip that shot her upwards. She struggled to keep Inuyash's haori around her small frame from the sudden motion.

"Let's get out of here," Inuyasha cut in, still not looking at her. "The smell is making me sick."

Kagome had no objections. She wanted to go home and take a nice, long bath, then an even nicer - even longer - nap. Only one problem…

"I can't go out on the streets like this." She pointed out, motioning to the red fabric that draped down close to her shins to emphasis her point. "People will think we're suspicious."

"Idiot, who said anything about going by the streets?" Inuyasha scoffed. What did she expect? To just walk down main street with all of her scrapes and bruises next to a strange man with dog ears? _No shit_ people would think they were suspicious.

"So how do you expect us to get out of here?!" Kagome snapped. How dare he call her the idiot when he hadn't a clue either!

"The same way I got here." He responded instantly, finally looking at her. "From the rooftops."

"E-excuse me?"

"'Ya deaf? I said the rooftops." He kneeled down so he was almost level with Kagome. "I guess you go on my back. Come on."

Kagome just stared at him completely dumbfounded. He wanted her to ride piggy back across the rooftops of massive buildings to get home. Hiten must have drugged her.

"What's wrong? Hurry it up! Do you wanna get home or not?!" Inuyasha snapped causing Kagome to move. She gingerly approached him. How was she supposed to do this? She put her hands on his shoulders and instantly felt her blood rush to her cheeks. She looked down at her legs. She was wearing a skirt.

"Well?!" Inuyasha's voice cut through her embarrassment.

"I'm wearing a skirt! It'll hitch up and everyone will see!" _Plus I don't want the only thing separating you from me being a pair of panties._

"So? No one will see. Hurry up before I change my mind." He wasn't going to leaving her, but damn did he wish she'd hurry it up. He wanted out of this damn alley and she was taking her good sweet time.

That was it. Inuyasha grabbed her by her thighs and hitched her up onto his back. If she wasn't going to do it, he was. "What are you doing?!" Kagome yelped in protest. Inuyasha didn't bother to answer, instead giving a powerful leap, causing Kagome to scream bloody murder directly into his ear. He easily scaled the 15 story building, landing softly on the balls of his feet.

"What the hell!" He barked at her, "Right in my damn ear!"

"Well you should've given me a warning first then!"

"Keh, then hold on tight. If you fall I'm not going after you." He lied. He wouldn't have let her fall. When he felt her press herself closer to him he gave another leap. It felt nice having her so close, even if only for a short time.

As soon as they were airborne Kagome bit her lip to stifle another scream for fear Inuyasha would drop her. Deep down she knew he wouldn't; he wouldn't have saved her - twice might she add – just to have her fall to her death.

Gathering her courage, opened her eyes. All fear had been replaced. The air whipped through her hair and chilled her torso through the baggy haori that covered her. She had never experienced something so exhilarating. Even the scariest rollercoaster's didn't compare to this feeling. She actually felt like she was flying.

Her previous nervousness was replaced with sheer joy. She couldn't help the giggles that erupted from her lips.

Inuyasha didn't mind, it was better than screaming – drew less attention to them too. He tightened his grip on her legs. He couldn't help himself, he needed the contact. He could just used to her laugh. It was adorable… addictive even.

For the first time in a long time, Inuyasha felt genuinely happy.

* * *

Naraku sat in the middle of an empty room. He hated cluttered spaces, it irked him to near madness. Back when he was alive he had stolen enough to fill his need for "stuff" for the rest of his life.

That didn't stop him from making his hide-away a magnificent castle, however. It's all a matter of perspective.

The past few years had not been put to waste. He had gathered word that demons were growing tired of the laws and life that InuTaisho had been imposing on them. When Naraku had offered them renewed power, to regain control of the human world many had joined up with him.

Soon, he had his own little rebellion.

His eyes gazed lazily at the sliding shoji door. Within seconds Kagura emerged looking not all that pleased.

"Hiten's returned." She spoke, not trying to hide her disinterest. The sliding door opened wider and Hiten was revealed to Naraku on his hands and knees. Naraku already wasn't pleased in whatever the lightening demon was about to say.

"Leave us, Kagura."

"Don't have to ask me twice." She responded almost immediately as she disappeared through the long castle corridors.

Hiten felt Naraku's harsh gaze burn a hole in his very soul. He knew that Naraku knew he had failed so he spared his breath. He may be needing that energy later.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Hiten." Naraku's velvet voice cut through the silence like warm butter. Hiten was one of the first to be recruited by Naraku and he trusted him immensely.

"I'm sorry my lord, there was an unexpected… obstacle. I couldn't get the jewel." He raised so he could face Naraku. His chest plate was still cracked in half and dry blood painted it in rusted lines.

Naraku's eyes raised in interest. "Oh? Explain."

This was Hiten's one chance. Answer this wrong and he would be talking to the Devil within the hour.

"A hanyou, InuTaisho's youngest son, Inuyasha. He appeared in the middle of the populated city and protected the girl."

"Inuyasha, you say?"

"Yes my lord. If you would give me another chance, I give you my word I'll kill him and bring you the jewel."

Naraku stood up causing a wave of panic to course through Hiten. Without warning he was raised well above the ground by his neck, Naraku's red eyes inches from his own. "You know what will happen if you fail me again, Hiten." Naraku whispered directly into his ear before dropping Hiten to the ground in a coughing heap.

The door slammed closed leaving Hiten gagging alone in the dark corridor. When he could finally breathe again he made his way through the twisting castle without issue. He had walked these halls many times before and left as quickly as he had came.

"Maten!" Hiten shouted as he entered the small home he and his brother shared. "Maten! Where the fuck are you?!"

He crashed into the living room sending the door down with a loud crash; effectively waking up his brother.

"What the hell, Hiten?!" Maten cursed.

"Get your fat ass up. I fucked up real bad with that last mission with you-know-who. If we fail again we're through. Get your fat head off your balding and help me!"

Hiten was desperate. He was already being suspected under InuTaisho and Sesshomaru, but the one who scared him most was Naraku. Naraku would have no reservations gutting him alive and making him eat them raw.

"Brother Hiten! Why are you suddenly being so harsh with me." Maten spoke, tears welling up in his eyes. He had always been a cry baby.

"You don't get it do you! I _need_ your help! I can't do this without you Maten. Please." He begged now. He loved his brother dearly and hated having to treat him this way, but now was time for action. If they messed this up one more time, they were dead.

"Okay brother Hiten. Anything for you."

* * *

Sesshomaru stood atop a hill overlooking the ocean. The morning sun illuminated his white hair and garb a hundred times over. Every inch of him radiating power.

The area which he stood had not been affected by the sprawling cities of the human world. Yokai existed in a separate world, one that overlapped yet never met. His father had been the one to propose it, offering sanctuary for yokai while simultaneously protecting the humans from them.

He wondered what Rin would think of it. She had always hated humans despite being one herself. He supposed that was one thing they had in common. But she had changed him, taught him emotions he never even understood before. He missed her so much it hurt. After she died he reverted back to his emotionless state.

Naraku had committed high treason against himself and his father by killing Rin. Sesshomaru had been scenting the winds for centuries but nothing had ever shown itself of Naraku's presence.

But the world was changing. Yokai began to come and go from their dimension, something that had never happened in all these years. The cogs were beginning to turn. Naraku would make his move soon. He could feel it.

He was aware that Hiten had left that morning and had recently returned. They had been watching him and his brother, Maten for some time now for fears they had turned traitorous. Sesshomaru was sure that Hiten would leave again soon. When that happened he was instructed to follow and act accordingly.

He smelled the toad demon before he saw him running up the hill.

"Mi'Lord! Mi'Lord!" Jaken shouted frantically. "Hiten and Maten have moved!"

Sesshomaru instantly took to the air. "Watch after Kiku in my absence."

"But Mi'lord!" Jaken squaked, but Sesshomaru was already gone.

* * *

 **AN: Dear god the writers block. This will proabbly get massively edited later. I lost my rough drafts so this is pretty much from scratch. Not happy with it but eh. Also, sorry for the shorter chapters lately. It's killing me inside to have to build up to what I want to get to in this story... Chapters will start getting meatier soon.**

 **Leave a review and fav. Updates every Friday/Saturday!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Miroku

"And only the enlightened can recall their former lives; for the rest of us, the memories of past existences are but glints of light, twinges of longing, passing shadows, disturbingly familiar, that are gone before they can be grasped, like the passage of that silver bird on Dhaulagiri."  
― Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard

* * *

Disclaimer before I forget to add it AGAIN: I do not own Inuyasha, please don't sue me Ms Rumiko Takehashi, I love you and your work! I just want to have fun with its characters!

* * *

Miroku made his way through the diminishing crowds of late night Tokyo. Not many people seemed to question his unusual choice of clothing - his old monk attire - dismissing him for an entertainer or cosplayer.

How many times had he been resurrected into this world? He could honestly say he had lost count. He had grown accustomed to the new world he found himself in each time. He could honestly say he lived history.

Growing up he had always been an outcast because of this. He was always a prodigy in schools once they became open to the public because – being of high karma - he had always retained his memories of past lives. But if he had to choose a favourite, it would be his first one back in the feudal era.

Sure, that life had it's own issues, famine, frost and disease ran rampant, but it was a simple time, free of the stresses the new world brought. Back then he made a living by being a traveling exorcist, robbing rich families, sleeping with beautiful women… that was all much harder to do now-a-days. Not to mention now he had Sango.

Sango had changed him for better. He knew from the second he laid eyes on her that she was different from all the other women he had messed around with. He found himself wanting to spend time with her that was much longer than a night of fooling around. He had heard stories of soulmates, his favourite being the one of the "Unmei no akai ito", the red thread of fate. He always thought it was bogus in his younger days, but now he truly believed in such things. And whether he liked it or not, he was tangled in its web for better or for worse.

He had seen many lives, and in each one he had always managed to meet up with Sango. At first she would recognize him instantly; but throughout her past couple lives she was starting to forget. As much as it pained Miroku to go without Sango, he counted it as a blessing in disguise.

How many times had he watched her die? Some times it was due to injury or illness, other times old age, but they couldn't break the cycle.

A sporting goods store mannequin caught his attention as he walked passed it. It was wearing a black body suit with pink details much like Sango's demon-slaying outfit. He turned to look into the store, noticing his reflection in the glass. He still looked identical to all of his previous lives. Same black hair held back in a low ponytail, deep blue eyes and all the same facial structures of his past. Undoubtedly Sango would look the same too. But would she even recognize him if they were to cross paths? Before, all it took was lookin at Miroku to awaken her past memories, but lately it took a little bit more prompting.

If Miroku were to meet up with Sango again in this life, would he even try to spark her memories? Was it selfish of him to want to share another tender moment with his one love even though he knew it would mean throwing her back into this worthless fight? She was probably living a normal life without any knowledge of her past strife's. Miroku would much rather be a bystander in that happy life than have to watch her violent death and suffering one more time.

He lifted his bound right hand, the one that still held the kazaana curse. It told him that the bastard tying them to this world was still alive and probably enjoying his night with some prostitute as he spoke. That damned Naraku; next time Miroku even came within earshot with that fucker he'd suck him in with his Kazaana even if it meant his own death.

Resuming his pace he stilled his mind as best he could. Depressing thoughts were not his favourite thoughts to have, so instead he focused on his happy memories. Meeting Sango, the many nights the traveled, asking her for her hand in marriage, finding out she was pregnant with their first child...

Before he knew it he was at the outskirts of town. The landscapes had changed over the years as sprawling city development morphed the land but his feet knew where to go instinctively. The street lights slowly became further and further apart until he was left to wander in moonlight alone. The light pollution curtain in the sky overhead thinned until it allowed the endless stars shine through. Despite five centuries passing the stars stilled remained the same as they were back then. It was the one constant in his life. Most people when they view the vastness of the stars for the first time feel small and frightened, but to Miroku, it was comforting to know that despite all of his hardships at least the stars still urged him to continue on his existence.

Slowly the ground beneath his feet gave way to old and familiar landscapes. He was nearing his destination – a hill that housed both Sango and his first lives final resting spot.

Miroku made this journey once a year on the anniversary of Sango's first death. He purposefully made the trip by foot while wearing his old monk attire. It was all done for old times sake. Miroku had always had a hard time adjusting to the ever changing world he constantly found himself reborn into. This was the one time a year he could pretend it was still 16th century Japan, back when the world was still new and exciting, before he knew of the pain of watching loved ones die over and over again.

The hill was now coming into view, a small shrine atop it. As soon as Miroku could fully make out the tombs and shrine atop the hill, he passed a plaque that hadn't been there before. Written on it was the legend of the monk and demon slayer who were laid to rest here, a lone nekomata believed to guard over their final resting place.

Speaking of nekomata, a very large flaming cat yokai emerged from the small shrine hissing and growling at Miroku. Normally, the encounter would scare away anyone sensitive enough to sense or see the yokai, which Miroku could only guess is why they put up the plague. It didn't only act as lore but also as a warning to anyone hoping to deface the graves beyond. Miroku gave a warm smile at the cat.

"I'm sorry Kirara, did you wait long?"

The growling suddenly stopped and was replaced with purrs. Miroku was knocked down to the ground by a powerful warm body, his face getting painted by the yokai's rough tongue.

"Kirara… you're… crushing me…!"

A large flame engulfed the cat and it shrunk down to the size of an average house cat, her twin tails swishing happily behind her as she continued licking Miroku's face.

"I missed you too, Kirara. I only managed to be able to move out this year. This time has strict rules about what age you can leave home to live by yourself. Thank you for watching over Sango and I." Miroku explained to the small cat who mewed in response as if to say "No problem!"

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a cat treat. Kirara happily ate it as Miroku went up to the two tombstones. After paying his quick respects, he felt Kirara bump her head into Miroku.

"What do you say we go find someplace to stay the night?" Miroku asked the cat who happily mewed, hoping onto Miroku's shoulder.

* * *

Miroku awoke at the break of dawn, the harsh sun shining directly through the curtains of his hotel room. Kirara was sleeping peacefully next to his head, her tails wrapped around herself. He carefully peeled off his covers as to not wake the sleeping feline and made his way to the washroom.

He had managed to find a fairly decent hotel considering how short notice it was. It had a fairly large overstuffed bed, mini fridge and free breakfast. He didn't care much for the other luxuries, all he really needed was food and a place to sleep. He had no problems paying for a four or five star hotel; he had lifetimes worth of savings just itching to get spent, not to mention the salary of his current employment was anything but meager pennies.

He brushed his teeth and took a quick shower before throwing on a dark purple V-neck tee, dark denim jeans and matching purple converse. Giving Kirara a scratch on the head, he left for breakfast before leaving to the streets of Tokyo.

He clenched his right fist, he was running on borrowed time. He only managed to get out of his parent's house this year. He had to find Naraku and put an end to this quickly.

Kirara licked his cheek sensing his thoughts. He moved his hand to give her a pat but she broke into a growl, startling Miroku. He was aware that there seemed to be much more minor demonic presences in the streets today as supposed to most, so he brushed off Kirara's warning as just that, her trying to scare away a lesser demon

He was near the middle of the city, he had been wandering aimlessly for hours, trying to think of ways to find a lead. It used to be so much easier. Now-a-days trying to get someone to lend you an ear for a few seconds was like asking for their wallet; especially if your question is in regards to a sociopathic half-demon who could be anywhere.

Suddenly he was slapped with a strong demonic aura. His heart sped up in his chest as adrenaline began to course through his veins. This was it, the lead he was looking for. It's been years, no, centuries since he felt an aura this strong. He followed Kirara's line of sight, waiting for the demon to make its appearance.

What he wasn't expecting, however, was the screams that came with it. A humanoid yokai wearing traditional clothing leaped from rooftop to rooftop, seemingly uncaring of the commotion he was causing below. This baffled Miroku. Normal humans couldn't see yokai, no matter how powerful they may be. The yokai's aura was undoubtedly demon, but he couldn't be, could he? How could he be seen by normal people if he was?

Miroku sprang into action, chasing after the yokai who quickly vanished out of his sight. All around him, commuters were abuzz with chatter of what they just saw. Were they hallucinating? Was it some kind of promotional stunt? Some people who were clearly more sensitive to auras were on the ground in crippling fear. Several people already had their phones out, dialing 9-1-1. They were wasting their time, the police couldn't do anything. It'd get re-directed to the demon-slayers, and even then they were rusty as can be, they wouldn't know what to do with this yokai.

Miroku couldn't have been giving chase for more than three minutes when the aura turned around, heading back in the direction it came from. The early morning commuters had thinned out considerably leaving only a few people walking down the sidewalks. Miroku kept his eyes to the sky, Kirara still growling and puffed threateningly on his shoulder.

That's when he saw it, the flash of red scaling up the building. Something – no someone – was on his back, screaming. A woman? Did he just kidnap someone?

As soon as he showed up, he was gone leaving Miroku and Kirara to stare at each other in confusion.

"Oookay?"

* * *

 **AN: I know I know, another short chapter. It was supposed to be much longer but I couldn't find a good way to transition to the next part without making a seperate chapter. Also, sorry this is a day late, my week has been crazy. My blood iron dropped suddenly so I've been sleeping 20 hours a day pretty much. I PROMISE a long, action packed chapter next week. Thank you to all who review and have given me such positive feedback! You all are honestly the reason I'm keeping this up and trying to storyboard new ideas for longer chapters. I love you all :)**

 **Leave a review / fav, see you on christmas!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Omg it's been just over a month. I'm so sorry. I wish I could say I was busy all that time, but I wasn't. I was lazy. I haven't forgotten about my stories though, it's just they've taken the back seat to other, more important things I have to do. Sorry no more weekly updates**

* * *

"There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life."  
― **John Lennon**

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takehashi and I gain no profit from this fanfic.

* * *

Kagome immersed herself in the scalding water of her bath. She felt dirty all over and had been shaking uncontrollably ever since she got home. Her mind kept replaying what had happened over and over against her will.

Now that the water had been turned off, she could hear the man (he was a man, right?) in her bedroom pacing back and forth. She hadn't intended to go straight to the bathroom as soon as he brought her back, but she needed something calming. Explanations could wait.

She just wished he could quiet down before she got caught sneaking a man with dog ears into her room.

That would be fun to explain to her family.

Kagome dunked her head under the hot water, jolting her mind out of its spiraling downfall. She was never one to dwell on the past, much less mope and cower over it. But that didn't stop the fact that she _was_ scared. Her world was filling to the brim and spilling over the edges, and she felt like she was sinking even deeper.

She was not a fighter – she never had been – and suddenly she found herself in a war she knew nothing about.

But why was she involved to begin with?

Suddenly she remembered the demon-man called her by a name she had heard before somewhere. What was it he said about her again? No matter how hard Kagome racked her brain, for the life of her she couldn't remember.

She could hear Inuyasha's pacing in her room grow louder and louder. It was just her luck that of all the knight's in shining white armor that she could've gotten, she got the most impatient. She had only been gone for a good 15 minutes and she was already starting to fear for her homes foundation if she took any longer. Never before had she been more relieved for her family's lack of home security. Most people would have investigated the ruckus by now. She couldn't even remember a time they locked their door.

Sighing. Kagome reluctantly emerged out of her bath. Almost immediately Inuyasha's persistent pacing seized all together, leaving a pleasant silence she thought she'd never hear again. The feeling was short lived however. As soon as Kagome wiped away the condensation off her full bodied mirror she was greeted by a necklace of angry red bruises and marks. Add that to the list of things she has to explain to her family. She could see the run-on explanation now; "Yeah, mom, grandpa, just so you know… This is Inuyasha, a half demon who just showed up and saved me from multiple full demons that apparently exist tried to rape me and oh, did I forget to mention I had a magical jewel inside my body that they all seem to be after and my life is now in great peril? By the way, what's for dinner?"

That'll go over well.

Adding to Kagome's growing dilemma, no matter how much she searched she couldn't find a single bottle of make up to try to cover her "battle scars". She would have to finally take Sango up on that offer to go to Sephora. She could see the excitement in her friends face now and Kagome couldn't help but laugh at how mundane it was that her current problem was make-up. Forget demons out to rape and kill her, there's a mad sale on foundation she needed to hit up first. After the day she just had, it was nice to feel normal again.

Cringing as she got dressed only to find her shirt seemed to only draw attention to her bruises rather than hide them. She took a good 5 seconds to mentally prepare herself before she finally left the sanctity of her bathroom. Whatever was going on, she only had one person she could ask. The same person who showed up when this all started. Inuyasha.

Kagome took the few unsettling steps to her room where the no-doubt deadly man was audibly tapping something. Sure, he had saved her twice within the past 12 hours, but she knew nothing about him. He could snap at her at any second and lose whatever empathy kept him from letting her die previously.

But Kagome was stubborn to a fault. She wouldn't let him know her fear. She would stand up to him face to face and make _him_ fear _her_.

* * *

Inuyasha had been waiting not so patiently in Kagome's room of pink-children's-unicorn-vomit and the mixing scents of her old blood and _her_.

That was his problem. He could only think of her.

Yokai most likely hadn't bothered coming to the shrine because of Kikyo's aura that always seemed to linger until just a short while ago. With that protective aura gone they were sitting ducks. He brought Kagome back to the shrine because he needed to buy time.

Hiten was never one to give up on his prey or anyone he deemed as an enemy honestly. He was after the jewel, no doubt. But why he sought it so desperately was beyond him. Why Hiten would go to such drastic measures was beyond him. But what he did know was the looming danger that made his ears twitch to no end and his stomach churn.

And Kagome was out in another fucking room – doing god fucking knows what – and wasting whatever little fucking time they had.

To say Inuyasha was tense would be an understatement. He was livid.

He wanted to go after her and make her run away – and he would have to… if he could figure out to open the damned door! It didn't slide and had this weird protrusion he hadn't seen in his life. Damn this era! What the hell was wrong with sliding doors?!

He started tapping his foot irritably. The motion and sound settling him down just enough to not break down the door by force. He had become so worked up he hadn't even heard Kagome walk down the hall.

The next thing he knew, the door had flown open and had made forceful acquaintance with his face with an audible crack of wood and bone.

"OHMYGOSH" Kagome gasped out. She hadn't expected Inuyasha to be standing right in front of door. She closed it quickly, noticing the large crack in the wood as it clicked shut. _Great, now I have to explain how my door broke, too._

She turned to see Inuyasha standing unfazed and nearly steaming in rage.

"I'm so sorry!" She said as she moved to inspect him for any cuts or even a broken nose, only to remember she was supposed to be mad at him. "Why were you standing in front of the door in the first place?! What did you think would happen?!" She snapped.

"What did you think would happen when you went out with the jewel?" He rebutted. "You didn't even carry a weapon, how stupid could you possibly be?! Don't you know anything!"

"NO!" Kagome yelled back, uncaring of how close she was to his face. "I don't know anything because the only person I know who knows about this stupid jewel is YOU and you haven't told me a thing!"

Inuyasha's ears jerked towards Kagome and his face turned from blood red to bleach white. He quickly spun around and made a break for the window, only to be stopped by a seething Kagome.

"Just where do you think you're go-"

The bedroom door creaked open making Kagome's heart hammer so hard in her chest she was sure she was about to have a heart attack. Her mother was standing in the doorway, holding a tray of tea and soup that shook in her hands from the sight before her.

Kagome could only imagine how it looked from her end; her daughter clinging on to the shirt of a strange man - A strange man with dog ears to top that of – and obvious hickey's. She would be lucky if she wasn't about to be grounded until she was 65.

"It's you." Kagome's mother uttered, throwing her for a massive loop. Her mother _knew_ Inuyasha? Without another word her mother walked passed her and Inuyasha and set the tray down.

"I'll leave you two be." Was the last thing she said before deftly leaving the room.

Kagome was going to have to give her own mother a lecture on leaving teenagers alone in a bedroom later on.

But first she had a very rude dog-man thing to deal with. She turned to face him only to have him grab her hand so quick she didn't have time to react.

"We're getting out of here." He stated in a tone that reminded her of her mother when she was adamant something was going to happen and no amount of pleading or begging could change it.

"Excuse me?" Kagome snapped back, throwing her arm down and breaking his death grip on her. "What makes you think I'm going anywhere with you? I don't even know you! Look, I'm grateful for you saving me, I really am, but what do you think gives you the right to tell me what to do?!"

"I only brought you here because no yokai had come near it for damn centuries! That won't last much longer! They know you're here, we need to get out!" Inuyasha snapped back.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Kagome screamed, "I have school and friends and a life! We'll call the cops or something!"

"What the fuck are humans going to do?! They'll be killed instantly and won't even know what happened. Yokai can't be seen by humans, have you not figured that out yet you idiot!?" Inuyasha retaliated.

"What do you mean they can't see yokai? I can see you can't I? Aren't you a yokai?" Kagome asked sincerely, all anger in her voice replaced by confusion.

"Like Hiten said, I'm a _Hanyou._ Half-human, half-yokai. I can be seen because I have human blood. Full yokai cannot. There are many yokai in this world but no stupid human sees them. No one can help you in this! They will keep coming after you until you're dead and they have the jewel!"

"So then why don't y-"

"JUST LET ME DO THIS FOR YOU KIKYOU" Inuyasha snapped back before Kagome even had a chance to finish her sentence.

"There's that name again… Hiten called me Kikyou too." Kagome replied in a surprisingly mellow tone that surprised when her.

"What did that fucker say to you." He replied sternly.

"What does it matter what he said?! Why don't YOU tell me who Kikyou is!"

"It's not important, drop it!"

"It's not important? What do you mean it's _not important_! My life is in DANGER because of this girl! I think I have the right to know who she is!" Kagome snapped back. Inuyasha was visibly becoming angrier and angrier as the argument went on but Kagome didn't care. She wanted him to be angry. She wanted him to get frustrated. She wanted him out of her face, out of her room, and out of her life.

"You wouldn't be in danger if you'd just leave." Inuyasha snorted. That was all it took for the small shreds of Kagome's patience wither and fade into nothingness.

"Leave." Was all she said in response. Calm and stern. She didn't have to put up with him. This was her house, damn it.

He opened his mouth to say something back, but Kagome wasn't about to hear it.

"I SAID GET OUT!"

Inuyasha just looked at her. The tension in the room was so thick it was near suffocating. It seemed like forever until Inuyasha finally spun on his heel and hopped on to the window sill. He hesitated then. Kagome was sure he'd turn back around and start the argument all over once again, but he jumped out of the window and was quickly out of sight without saying a word.

Kagome flopped down on her bed hard, a mixture of lingering anger and relief overtaking her. She got what she wanted, he was gone. And hopefully he stayed away…

So why was she so sad he was gone?

* * *

After Kagome cooled down a bit and regained a few shreds of common sense, she pulled out her cell phone. It was still early afternoon and school wasn't out yet. Sango still wouldn't be over for at least another hour or so.

Kagome couldn't wait that long. Opening her messenger app she tapped onto Sango's name and quickly typed in the question that had been burning in her mind since her dispute with Inuyasha.

"Do u know anyone named Kikyou?"

Send.

She put her phone face down above her head not expecting Sango to reply until classes were out, but not 10 seconds later her phone buzzed.

"No. Y? How r u feeling?"

 _A lot worse now, thanks_. Sango was her last hope. The girl practically knew everybody. Maybe Kikyou didn't go to her school, or maybe she had already graduated?

With revived vigor Kagome closed the messenger app without bothering to reply and pulled up Facebook. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it sooner. _Leave it to me to forget the wonders of modern technology._

She quickly typed in "Kikyou" and was greeted by hundreds of matching profile names. She quickly started to scroll through them, not even knowing what she was looking for. She could only assume this Kikyou woman resembled herself and without a last name or any other information she was stuck shifting through thousands of faces.

It didn't take long until she had exhausted the list only to find a big, whooping nothing.

Kagome needed a break. Nothing was going right and it was stressing her out so badly she swore she was going to go bald. There was still one more thing Kagome needed to investigate to find a least a smidge of peace within her soul.

How did her mother know Inuyasha.

She threw on a turtle neck sweater before bounding down the steps to the kitchen where her mother was drinking a cup of tea.

"Hello, dear." Her mother said with a smile when she noticed Kagome step in.

"Mom, we need to talk." Kagome replied. Might as well cut to the chase.

"Sure, about what?"

"Earlier today there was a man in my room. Do you know him?" Kagome said as she took a seat across from her mother.

"I guess you could say I do." Her mother replied while staring into her cup as if recalling a distant memory. "I actually owe him a great debt."

That caught Kagome off guard. What could her mother possible owe to Inuyasha?

"You remember how when you were little, I told you how you nearly drowned in a pond behind the shrine?" her mother continued.

"Yes, I do." Kagome answered on queue. She knew the story well as her mother often liked to retell it whenever she worried about her.

"Well, don't tell your jii-san I'm telling you this, but I haven't told you the whole story. It wasn't just a civilian who found you, it was that man. Your jii-san doesn't agree, but I'm certain he's your guardian angel."

Kagome was shocked. Had he been watching over her since she was young? Just who was he?

He certainly wasn't an angel. Hiten had called him a hanyou, he had said himself he was hanyou. Half-human, half-demon. Then there was the jewel. Had Inuyasha known about it all this time and was just manipulating her? Waiting for his chance to take the jewel and leave her for dead.

Or was it something else? Could it be possible he actually cared for her somehow? Actually cared for her wellbeing?

Whatever his reason didn't matter anymore. Inuyasha was gone. Wondering about him or if she had made the right choice in sending him away wouldn't help anything.

"You don't believe me either, do you, Kagome?" Her mother spoke up making her snap out of her endless questioning thoughts.

"Well, he currently isn't human, I can tell you that much."

"Where is he now?" She asked, "I haven't even been able to thank him for saving you all those years ago."

"He left." Was all Kagome said in response.

"Oh… I see. Well, next time he's here could you let me know? I'd like to thank him in person."

"… Yeah. Sure thing, mom."

Kagome got up to leave as the door bell rang. She ran to answer, noticing her grandfathers looming shadow just out of sight. He had been listening.

Kagome opened the door to be greeted by the one and only Sango, ethereal beauty radiating out of every single one of her pores.

"Let me in before it starts pouring!" Sango chimed as she pushed Kagome aside. There were dark storm clouds rolling in and the wind had picked up considerably.

Sango flattened her hair that had been tossed around by the wind, giving Kagome a sideways glance.

Just as Sango opened her mouth to undoubtedly chastise Kagome on missing school and leaving her to brace the weather alone, her grandfather same out of the shadows, making Sango jump.

"Why don't you girls go on upstairs," he suggested with a small smile that looked forced, "I'll have your mother bring you some snacks after I'm done talking to her."

"Sure thing, Mr. Higurashi!" Sango chirped, "My back could use some unloading from all these books. No thanks to _someone_."

Kagome forced a smile of her own. "Hey, it's not my fault teachers love to load us with work on weekends."

Sango flicked Kagome's arm in defiance before bounding up the stairs, Kagome giving chase.

* * *

Kagome's grandfather stalked into the kitchen, staring down his daughter as she absently swirled the tea leafs around her in her mug.

"I don't appreciate you filling Kagome's head with fairy tales and lies." He spat to the woman. Kagome's mother didn't raise her eyes from the cup, only ceasing her motion.

"I saw him again. He's real, father."

"It's a demon!" He shouted back, "They only appear to lead you astray. You are not to allow Kagome to fantasize over this. I have already made the mistake of allowing you into its clutches."

"Kagome is almost 18 and can choose to believe what she wishes." Kagome's mother responded calmly, breaking her lock her mug to look at the elderly man. "How, father, would you like some tea?" She asked with a warm smile.

The older man looked down at his daughter patronizingly, hesitant of what to say.

"…I'm going to tend to my bonsai. Matcha will do."

* * *

A dark storm was brewing off in the distance. Miroku was instantly reminded of his youngest days when he would find lodging by using the "dark cloud" excuse. That would never pass off now.

He had followed the demonic aura throughout the day. More and more powerful aura's had been popping in and out of his awareness all the while. It made it considerably harder to pin point just one.

Something was happening, and he didn't like it.

The most unsettling part of it all was the storm itself. It was not natural, but more demonic in nature. Was it the original demon he was tracking or was a second greater yokai on its way?

The thought honestly frightened him. Humans had not had to deal with greater yokai for centuries. Modern demon slayers, monks and holy leaders were not equipped to handle such a threat.

Miroku looked down at his right hand bound by purple cloth and his teal prayer beads. He had not had to use it yet and it was still considerably small. Would he have to open his kazaana? Would it even be able to take the stress? Too many uncertainties were piling up at once.

Kirara nudged against Miroku's cheek, giving a soft mewl. Her fur was standing on edge. Kirara was feeling it too. Miroku had never been happier to have his old companion by his side.

The demonic energy seemed to be coming from an old Shinto Shrine. Miroku thought it odd that a demon take refuge on holy grounds, but it wasn't unheard of. It was very possible it was under a façade as the shrine keeper. Miroku remembered a case like this in the past. He and Sango had heard rumours of a hoard of spiderhead yokai up in the mountains. They had taken shelter at a Buddhist temple at the generosity of the head monk… only he wasn't a monk at all but a yokai.

Yup, fun times. Things like that certainly didn't happen anymore. People were too cautious, especially of unwarranted acts of kindness. It made Miroku long for the old days that much more.

Kirara jumped down from Miroku's shoulder and began to bolt up the winding steps, growling loudly.

"Kirara!" Miroku called out as he gave chase.

This was definitely the place. Demonic energies swirled around in nauseating shrouds. The air was denser with evil than it had been for over 2 centuries. Miroku couldn't help but wonder it was fate that he happened to be at the right place at the right time to be led to this hot spot.

Maybe it was, maybe it was just luck.

Kirara reached the plateau only moments before Miroku. It was an old shrine with three main buildings and a large sacred tree; nothing too special.

The grounds were near devoid of life minus a lone elderly man – most likely the shrine keeper - tending to some well kept bonsai.

Miroku approached, Kirara close behind him. They didn't know if he had strong enough spiritual power to see Kirara or not – and if he could Miroku would rather avoid the conflict.

The man, noticing their approach, ceased his meticulous care of the small shrub and scowled.

"Shrine's closed. Can't you read the sign?"

"I'm not here to pray," Miroku quickly answered as he came closer. "I'm what you could call a traveling monk, or an exorcist if you will. I've noticed some troubling aura's around here and I was wondering if you had any information."

The old man raised an eyebrow – which in all honesty was a much better reaction than Miroku was expecting. Realizing that his introduction may have actually hooked the old man in, he reached into his pocket and withdrew his Demon-slayer I.D card.

"Miroku, eh? Well, I have to say your timing couldn't have been any better. Please, come inside and I'll discuss further. It looks like a storm is brewing"

* * *

Sango plopped herself down on Kagome's bed.

"Ahh! My back is finally free from that ten ton load! Why must teachers assign massive projects on Fridays?" Sango whined.

"What's the project about?" Kagome asked as she sat down opposite Sango.

"It's for mythology. We have to make a report on some legend from at least 500 years ago. We got a list to choose from so that helps I guess."

 _A legend from 500 years ago?_ Kagome thought, her interest peaked. She grabbed Sango's bag and began searching for the afore-mentioned list.

"It's a group project." Sango continued, "I convinced teach to let us work together. I figured I'd wait until I got here so we can choose together. I was thinking we could do the legend of the Shikon no Tama…"

Kagome dropped the bag, causing its contents to spill out onto the floor.

"Kagome?" Sango asked, concern in her soft voice, "Are you okay?"

 _Act natural… Act natural!_ Kagome chastised herself as she forced a smile. The jewel in her pocket that she had all but forgotten about before felt heavy. _What if Sango notices it?_

"Yeah, I just lost my grip." She said as she began gathering the lost contents. "We can do that, the legend of the shikon no tama." Kagome really hoped Sango couldn't see her shaking.

Could it really be that easy? All questions answered because just by coincidence it was the topic to a mythology project?

The shikon no tama suddenly felt hot in her pocket. It was like power was radiating out of it, calling out to her. Egging her on maybe? That was ridiculous. Kagome quickly dismissed the notion. It was simply her nerves.

"Let's get started right away." Sango chimed, "Your grandpa may know something about it."

Kagome wanted to say that was a bad idea. She didn't want her family knowing anything about any of this. But what could she say that wouldn't raise any eyebrows from Sango?

Failing to think of anything, Kagome just stalked after Sango as she led the way to the living room where her grandfather would surely be.

Why was she being so paranoid? Just asking her grandfather about the jewel wouldn't instantly expose her ruse. She was being impractical, anxious, she wasn't thinking straight. She just needed to calm down.

Sango stood in front of the living room door and turned just in time to catch Kagome before she walked straight into her. The girls could hear Kagome's grandfather talking within the room, an unfamiliar voice responding every now and then.

"Think it's okay to interrupt?" Sango asked in a hushed voice.

The door slid open and stepped outside before Sango had a chance to react. The man collided with Sango who quickly righted herself due to her years of martial arts training.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss-" The man started before dropping his gaze to Sango in a daze.

He was tall, Kagome would say around the same height as Inuyasha. His dark hair was held back in a small ponytail at the base of his head. He was wearing ragged denim jeans and a purple v-neck t-shirt. He looked no older than her, maybe around 19 or 20. He had a small beige cat with strange black markings and two tails perched on his shoulder.

Overall he looked like gaudy to Kagome, like one of those strange rocker boys who went to coffee houses where you can only snap. And who traveled around with their cat? He was definitely a hipster.

But looking at Sango Kagome could tell she was smitten at first glance.

"Don't worry about it." Sango stammered. Kagome couldn't tell what was going on, but the two just staring at each other in silence was incredibly awkward.

"Ah, I suppose I have to introduce you." Kagome's Grandfather broke the awkward silence, "This is Miroku. He's a monk who'll be popping by every now and then."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The man, Miroku said kindly. He never once took his eyes off Sango.

"Nice to meet you too," Kagome answered curtly, grabbing Sango by the wrist. "We better be going. We have a load of homework to work on, don't we Sango?"

"Oh… yeah… I'll see you around then." Sango said, not trying to hide her disappointment. Kagome yanked her away forcefully up the stairs. Whatever just happened was too weird. She couldn't tell why but she felt like everything that had happened in the past day, meeting Inuyasha, the jewel, Miroku - was all too convenient. Her life had always been completely mundane, and all of a sudden monks and demons were popping out of no-where. It felt like the strings of fate where all falling in line.

* * *

"Oh god's was he hot!" Sango whispered as soon as she was sure they were out of earshot.

"Not really my type." Kagome said as they entered her room. Old anger boiled to the surface when she closed the door and saw the wide crack left by a certain hanyou. "Besides, he had that weird cat. What was with that?"

"What cat?" Sango asked confused.

"You know, the one with the two tails. How could you miss it!"

"Kagome," Sango said concerned, "There was no cat."

 _Crap_ Kagome thought. Sango couldn't see it? Could it have been one of those demons that normal people couldn't see? Kagome's head started piecing together any little thing it could to save her screw up.

"Oh, I probably just saw Buyo behind him." Kagome finally said, wincing at just how stupid her lie sounded.

"You sure you feeling okay, Kagome?" Sango asked in her motherly tone.

"Kagome! Dinner!" Her mother's voice reverberated through the house. Kagome couldn't be any more grateful for the timing.

On the way down Kagome couldn't help but notice the lingering shadow in the corridors of what looked like twin tails swishing back and forth.

When they entered the kitchen Kagome couldn't help but notice the absence of her little bother, and the hipster monk that took his spot at the table. She gave him a cold sideways glance as she took her own seat. It was a warning that she was on to him.

He probably didn't even notice it however, as he was too busy eyeing down Sango.

"Souta is staying at his friends house. It's far to dangerous to be outside in this weather." Kagome's mother cut through the tension in the room as she laid out dinner. "Sango, you are more than welcome to stay the night. Same for you, Miroku."

"It'd be an honour, Ms. Higurashi." Miroku said with a warm smile. Sango was beaming from ear to ear at the thought of spending the night with this man jut down the hall.

But Kagome was uneasy. The jewel in her pocket burned her side. It was all too convenient.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **AN: Next chapter will be interesting. Sorry, this one is boring as hell. Review, follow, favourite, I love you all. On to writing! I promise I won't leave you waiting as long for the next chapter.**


	10. Update

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the hiatus (and sorry for not giving you a real chapter).

I've been really busy lately. I got a new job and am often much too tired afterwards to sit down and really write. Despite this, I haven't stopped thinking about my stories and you guys; so I'm back! (for now atleast)

It may still be a while before I update these stories. I want to write a few chapters ahead of time so if I'm too tired to write for a while atleast I can update and give you new content.

Thank you for keeping up with my stories and you'll be seeing more updates soon!

With love - Lova14


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